Faded Rainbow
by Rowanoak23
Summary: After Rainbow Dash's rump meets lightning one time too many, she feels like her reputation in town is ruined as ponies start laughing at her misfortune. Her self-esteem in tatters and her loyalty waning, its up to her friends to help her. 12/22 RE-EDITED
1. Chapter 1

**Faded** **Rainbow**

_The Cloudiseum was packed with cheering, screaming pegasi fans. Rainbow Dash beamed with excitement. This was it! What she spent her whole life waiting for! She practically radiated with excitement. "And now, announcing the newest member of the Wonderbolts…" The announcer pony from the Best Young Flyers Competition paused for effect "…Raaaaaainbow Daaaash!"_

_ With a triumphant whoop, the cyan pegasus zoomed out into the open taking her rightful place in the middle of the cloudiseum where everyone could see her in the totally awesome Wonderbolts uniform! She paused waiting for the cheers, the chants, the applause that invariably greeted the appearance of the Wonderbolts. What she got instead was laughter. Wild rancorous, whooping laughter. Pegasi beat their hooves on the cloud bleachers and rolled in the aisles._

_ "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"_

_ Rainbow flattened her ears, not understanding what was happening. She strained her head around to see what the problem was…then she saw that instead of the Wonderbolts emblem on the flanks of her flight suit, there was a symbol of a red and white target being struck by lightning on her rump. Right where Trixie's lightning had zapped her. Her facing paling beneath her suit, Rainbow Dash looked up and saw—to her horror—that the Wonderbolts were laughing at her too. The entire Cloudiseum, the Wonderbolts, even Princess Celestia was there, pointing their hooves and laughing at her. Rainbow gave a powerful flap of her wings and zoomed out of the Cloudiseum faster than she had ever gone before. But no matter how fast she flew, she could still hear the mocking laughter behind her. Rainbow turned her head only to discover that her wings were now gone too! She plummeted down to the ground like a stone, and still they all laughed! The ground was getting closer and the laughter was getting louder. Rainbow screamed._

"Aaaaah!" Rainbow jolted awake as she hit the floor. Panting she looked around, finally sighing in relief when she realized that she had just fallen out of bed. "Just a dream…just a dream…again."

It was a few days after Nightmare Night when the nightmares started up again. Appropriate enough, Rainbow thought in one of her more cogent moments. She groaned from her place on her floor. The first time she had that dream was right after the Trixie affair. Getting zapped in the rear in front of the whole town was pretty embarrassing. Okay, a lot embarrassing. Rainbow corrected. But it was quickly drowned out by what happened later, with the Ursa Minor rampage and the revelation that Trixie was full of hot air. Big shock.

Part of Rainbow Dash still wanted to hunt Trixie down and give her a good beating for what she did, but those feelings had started to fade. She tried to put that whole lousy day out of her mind. Then Nightmare Night came and Princess Luna set off a loud clap of thunder from about a pace behind her.

Twilight and Spike and Luna had a good laugh over that one. Okay, she couldn't very well hold that against them. After all she had kinda deserved it. Besides, it was a prank among friends and Rainbow was never upset by the stuff Pinkie did. But apparently Spike couldn't help but mention how Princess Luna startled—okay, fine—_scared_ her half-way across the Everfree Forest. Rainbow, in a more introspective moment, might've admitted that after causing Spike to nearly choke he was entitled to enjoy a little turnabout. But over the next couple of days she found herself going through town and could just barely hear faint whispers and snickers on the wind as she went past.

Rainbow couldn't figure it out until one day when some pony had up and asked her if it hurt to sit down after Princess Luna zapped her backside. Rainbow's angry glare made that pony abandon her inquiry entirely. But apparently the damage was already done and it wasn't long until ponies began to remember the Trixie incident.

She flapped her wings to get herself back on her hooves before she wearily stumbled under a gray raincloud in the next room. Rainbow felt like death warmed over. With a weary groan she raised her hooves and kicked the bottom of the gray cloud, letting ice cold rain water fall on her. She yelped at the sudden, bracing cold but at least she was more awake than she was a moment ago. A little bit anyway.

Looking out the window, Rainbow gazed out over Ponyville. She was supposed to start clearing the sky of clouds so it could be a nice sunny Saturday. Groaning, she put her hooves over her eyes. "I really don't want to work today." She griped, laying her head on the windowsill. "Ugh." Flapping her wings she lethargically dragged herself over to a cloud hanging over the town square.

She had just started to push it away when she paused. Rainbow Dash saw the spot where Trixie's carriage had once stood…right before that Ursa stepped on it. Rainbow smirked at the memory. She remembered pawing through the wreckage of the carriage before Snips and Snails started clearing it away. She found the not-so Great and Powerful Trixie's hat and cape in the wreckage and took it with her. Rainbow had taken it thinking it would make for some great pranking material but had forgotten about it. She thought about wearing it to the Nightmare Night celebration but her Shadowbolt costume was _way_ cooler.

Rainbow's attention was suddenly jerked back to the here and now after a thunderclap of a noise. Flinching, she turned this way and that, looking for the source. Finally she saw the source of the commotion: it looked like Mr. and Mrs. Cake had dropped some pots and pans they were carrying into Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow sighed only to then stiffen when she heard a strangled snicker from behind her and she heard the words "lightning rod."

She whirled in midair. A pair of ponies tried too late to hide their smiles at Rainbow Dash's reactions to the loud sound. It was Sticks and Stones, Snips and Snails bullying older brothers. "Um, nice weather we're having, huh Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow felt her face pale. Without betraying what she was thinking, she turned and slowly flew away. Once she was safely out of sight, she launched herself into the air. In a second there was no trace of Rainbow Dash except for a prismatic trail.

She knew that she had a job to do and for once, she didn't care. Oh she knew she wasn't what you would ever call punctual, but Rainbow Dash always cleared the skies. Eventually. After all, she never left Ponyville hanging. But…

"What's the point if everypony in Ponyville is laughing at me?" She grumbled. Then she checked herself. "Okay, fine, not everypony. Twilight and the gang wouldn't. Probably. But still!" She zipped around Ponyville in a circle, not really knowing where she was going. Whenever Rainbow needed to think—and yes, contrary to popular opinion, she DID think—she knew she did her best thinking on the fly. Literally.

"If they don't appreciate my awesomeness and all I do for this place, why should I keep it from raining on their parades? So they get their heads soaked. They probably could use it." She all but snarled. "It's not like I ever did anything for Ponyville—I mean besides clearing their weather ever since I got here, facing down Nightmare Moon and SAVING THE FLIPPING WORLD!" Zooming around to avoid a tree, she snorted. "Heck I even kicked my ex-best friend out for being a jerk to the ponies around here and how do they pay me back? They laugh when some out of town phony shows up and zaps me in the rump when I try to stand up for my new best friends!"

Rainbow banked hard, coming around for another lap around town. "I only took on Trixie after she hogtied one of my best friends! Heck, it's not as if she actually did anything to show me up! Or Applejack. Or even Rarity! All she did was move Applejack's rope around and change Rarity's hair color! Nothing she did was even close to being as awesome as the stuff they did! And my trick was 20% cooler than that!"

Just as her mind was stuck in an angry spiral, so too did her body follow: zooming around and around the perimeter of town. Soon she felt the wind roaring in her ears as she circled round town. The air rushing past seemed to yell at her. She swore she could hear it calling her name.

"…ainbo…sh!…" Wait, that wasn't the wind. Looking down the rainbow mare saw a familiar orange cowpony waving her hooves at her, trying to get her attention. Rainbow stopped in midair, only to regret it when the wind she'd whipped up by flying around town for ten minutes smacked her from behind, trying to pull her back into the loop.

Rainbow flapped hard and fought her way down to Applejack. The pull of the air was much less severe at ground level. "What's up Applejack?" Her breath came with a small pant that she quickly fought to suppress. No need to show her best rival that her awesome flying display made her even the teeniest tiniest bit tired.

Applejack gave her a nod. "Whoo-ee! That shore was one humdinger of a flight show. Ah don't think ah've ever seen clouds do that!" She pointed at something behind and above Rainbow Dash.

When Rainbow turned to look she saw a big white fluffy cloud ring circling around Ponyville. All her circuits around town had pulled in the clouds behind her, forming a large cloud orbit. "Neat! I mean, yeah, totally. Just working on a new routine." She bluffed, thinking quickly. It was doubtful if Applejack would buy it or not. AJ had a nose for honesty.

"Ah huh." AJ didn't smirk but it was lurking just beneath the surface. "Anyways, ah was wondering if you could push a cloud or two on over to Sweet Apple Acres. Some of the trees need shade and a little drink.

"Sure thing!" Rainbow buffed a hoof on her chest. "I can have that done in—"

"If ya say ten seconds flat, then ah'll buck you right on over to the farm right now and save you the trip." Applejack drawled, a hint of humor in her voice.

Rainbow crossed her legs in a pout. "Spoilsport."

"Oh Rainbow Dash!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to see an orange earth pony trotting up to them.

"Hey there Carrot Top." Applejack waved to her friendly farming rival as she drew close. She squinted. "Did you do something to yer mane?"

Carrot Top primped, tossing her now orange mane for emphasis. "Well after a certain pony who shall remain nameless made a big stink over having green hair a few months ago I decided to try something a little different. Haven't you noticed it before? What do you think?"

"It looks…nice?" Applejack smiled weakly. It looked fine to her but she didn't see it as that big of a deal. Sensing that perhaps her lackluster attitude towards the whole subject would be noticed, Applejack hurried on. "Musta been a right ol' surprise fer Ditzy though. You two still livin' together?"

Sighing, Carrot Top gave a rueful grin. "Yes, I am. Ditzy asked me if I spilled orange muffin mix into my mane." Rainbow Dash couldn't help snorting at that. That seemed to remind Carrot Top of her presence. "Oh Rainbow! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to forget about you! I heard you talking to Applejack and I was wondering if you could come by and give my carrot patch a little rain too?"

A frown crossed Rainbow's face. "I'll…see." She said neutrally. Was Carrot Top in that crowd that laughed at her when Trixie was in town? She vaguely remembered her coming in later, but she wasn't sure. Was she laughing at her now thanks to those rumors? "I might be busy."

Applejack gave her a look. "First time fer everything ah suppose." She drawled, giving a little chuckle. Carrot Top looked confused for a second but couldn't help bringing up her hoof to try and cover a giggle.

Rainbow felt blood rush into her cheeks as she tried to fight a blush and failed. She flared her wings in annoyance before snapping them back to her sides. With an angry snort and a harrumph Rarity would've been proud of, she turned and started walking away.

Sensing something was amiss, Applejack trotted after her. "Whoa there nelly, no need to get all het up." She called after her. "It was just a joke!"

Rainbow's answer was to put on a burst of speed. Applejack quickened her own pace to match. "Consarnit, Rainbow!" She groused. "Fer a pony who loves pranks and jokes yer sure have trouble taking one!"

"Well maybe I've had enough of ponies laughing at me lately!" Rainbow shot back, turning her head to shoot Applejack a glare.

"Shoot Rainbow ah—Ah can't talk to ya ifn ya keep running! Can we please stop?"

Part of Rainbow Dash considered the idea of just running on, confident that Applejack wouldn't be able to catch her, especially if she took to the air. But…she shook her head and sighed. Rainbow dug her hooves into the ground. A small cloud of dust was thrown up by her abrupt halt, but she didn't seem to even notice.

Applejack shook her mane to get the dust out when she approached. "Whooee, what's gotten into ya?" She panted. "Look, ah'm sorry it was supposed to be a little joke—ya know, since you like sleepin' and lazin' about. But if you've got a burr under yer saddle the best thing you kin do is talk to me 'bout it." Rainbow looked away at nothing in particular. Scratching her head through her hat, Applejack scrunched up her face as she replayed Rainbow's comment in her head. "Rainbow are you sore about that prank of Princess Luna's? Shoot, after the way you were carrying on at the Nightmare Night festival it seems like sour apples to me if YOU of all ponies can't take a joke."

Rainbow shook her head. "Nah, it isn't…it's not what Luna did. Not just that, I guess. It's everyone thinking about what…" she gestured at nothing with a hoof. "That loudmouth did."

Applejack frowned, but it didn't take long for her remember the 'loudmouth' in question. "You still upset about that whole Trixie thing? Shoot, it ain't like you were the only pony she made look foalish, 'member? I was trussed up an' hogtied. Ah tell you, I was plum fit to be tied, er, no pun intended."

Rainbow shook her head angrily. "It's—it's not the same!" She blurted. "The town just 'oohed' when Trixie did that to you, which, by the way, was totally not cool. And they were all appalled by what she did to Rarity's hair—" The cyan pegasus trembled with barely repressed emotion. "—But when she struck my rump with lightning they laughed! They all laughed!" She looked Applejack in the eye. "And now they're all laughing again! I clear the weather, I do the most awesome job I know how to do—and this is how they repay me?"

Applejack was stunned. She had never heard Rainbow Dash sound so…hurt, before. And was she—no. It couldn't be. She never…"Rainbow, are you-?"

"No!" The cyan pegasus turned away, rubbing at her face with her hoof. "I just had some dust in my eye. That's all."

"Rainbow Dash…" Applejack started apologetically. "Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't know it were botherin' you so much. I mean, shoot, yer, one of the toughest ponies ah know."

"Y-you mean it?" She turned back to face Applejack. "Really?"

The farmpony grinned. "Darn tootin' ah mean it! Forgit who you were talkin' to Dash? Honesty an' all that? Now c'mon sugarcube, why's this upsettin' you so much?"

Rainbow Dash hung her head and muttered something almost too low to hear. "…not the first time."

"Eh? What was that? Could ya speak up a bit?" Applejack asked, feeling a bit like Granny Smith for a moment.

Sighing, Rainbow repeated herself. "This…wasn't the first time I've had ponies laugh at me. Remember those three jerks from Cloudsdale when I went to the Best Young Fliers Competition? Rainbow Crash and all that? Well, that's what I put up with from when I was filly to when I finally moved to Ponyville. Doesn't matter how awesome I flew, a couple of dumb crashes earned me that stupid nickname. They might as well have branded my flank with it."

"Rainbow ah'm—" Rainbow held up a hoof. She didn't want Applejack's pity.

"And now…it's like its happening all over again! All my awesomeness, all my work—everything is becoming replaced by one stupid, _bucking_ incident!"

"Whoa there, Rainbow! Calm down!" Applejack held up her hooves.

Rainbow Dash snorted, but she did pause. Taking a breath she started again. "I always thought…I mean Ponyville is MY place. I thought maybe I'd shed that Rainbow Crash garbage and I figured most of the ponies around here were cool. But when they all—" her throat seemed to catch. "—laughed at me…" She shook her head, unable to explain it.

"Y'all thought they woulda supported ya more?" Applejack offered.

Rainbow nodded sharply. "Y-yeah, that's it! I mean, I never leave Ponyville hanging, right?" AJ shook her head. Rainbow warmed to her theme. "But they left ME hanging, didn't they?" Applejack bit her lip.

"Well, I suppose—"

"Right! Loyalty is a two way street or whatever! When was the last time anypony went up to me and said, 'Thanks Rainbow Dash for this awesome weather!' or 'Thanks for helping make sure the night won't last forever!'? Does that seem right to you, AJ?"

"Well, no—" She began before Rainbow cut her off with an abrupt nod.

"So that settles it then, doesn't it?"

"Uh…settles what?" Applejack asked in confusion, not sure what her friend just decided but something in her gut told her she wasn't gonna like it.

Rainbow lifted off the ground and crossed her hooves across her chest. "If Ponyville can't appreciate how incredibly awesome I am, then they can clear their own darn weather. I quit!"

Applejack's jaw dropped. "Now, h-hold on a sec there Rainbow—" Rainbow waved a hoof dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah I know what you're gonna say and its cool. I'll still push a cloud over to Sweet Apple Acres whenever you need one. I'll do that for any of the guys. I mean, you and me and Twilight and the others? We're cool. The rest of Ponyville?" Rainbow blew a ripe raspberry. She turned around and started off. "I'll be by later with that cloud. See ya AJ! Good talk!" With that, she zoomed off.

Applejack finally got herself together enough. "Now wait an apple-buckin' minute! Rainbow Dash, you come back here! Rainbow? Rainbow!"


	2. Chapter 2

Twilight gaped at Applejack. "Rainbow Dash quit? Just like that?"

"Jest like that." Applejack sighed, feeling tired. After Rainbow's announcement Applejack had spent the rest of the afternoon trying to hunt her wayward friend down, to no avail. It was already getting dark by the time she finally gave up and headed to the library. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy were already there.

The lavender unicorn shook her head and gave a little groan. "Oooh, this is not good."

"Ah know. Shoot." Applejack sighed, kicking at the floor with her hoof. "I shoulda known…if there's one thing that's hard for a pony to deal with, it's being laughed at. Even havin' somepony mad at you ain't as bad. 'Specially ifn you got an ego like Rainbow's."

Rarity nodded. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy just looked down at the ground sadly. "Awww, poor Dashie." Pinkie said. "Oooh, how about we throw her a big party? That always cheers me up! There'll be lots of games and treats and laughter-"

"I dare say Rainbow Dash has had quite enough of THAT." Rarity pointed out, not unsympathetically.

Pinkie pouted. "But that's not what laughter is supposed to be about! It's supposed to be about laughing with friends, not at them!"

"Well, ponies around here did and it's burning Rainbow up like one o'yer cupcakes with hot sauce." Applejack replied sighed. "Honestly, ah don't really blame her, to tell you the truth."

"Poor Rainbow Dash, she probably feels so hurt." Fluttershy said softly.

Twilight gave her a thoughtful look. "Fluttershy, is there anypony you know of that Rainbow would ever talk to? Besides the five of us?"

"Um, gee, well I really don't know…" Fluttershy looked down. "I'm sorry, but, I don't know…maybe Ditzy Doo? I think they talk sometimes about flight competitions and things. Um, I think they might even go back to when Rainbow Dash lived in Cloudsdale. But I could be wrong…"

"That's right, Ditzy was at the Best Young Fliers Competition, wasn't she?" Applejack nodded. "Let's go pay her a visit."

"Sounds like a plan!" Twilight said with a determined yet pleased look that only she could pull off at something as simple as having a plan. The five friends walked out of the library and headed through town. "Ditzy Doo lives with Carrot Top, right?"

Applejack nodded. "Yup! Her and her little filly, Dinky. She's in Apple Bloom's class."

"Awww, she's so cute!" Pinkie cooed. "Of course all fillies are cute! Colts too except we don't call guys cute we call them handsome! Isn't that weird? I mean, why not call them all the same thing? And what's a handsome? It's like saying you have some hands, but that's silly because we have hooves and—"

"Pinkiiie." Twilight gave her a warning look. "Later. Now, come on, we're almost there." Within moments they found themselves in front of the home of Carrot Top and Ditzy Doo.

Fluttershy looked down to admire the carrot patch as Twilight knocked. "Oooh, Angel Bunny will love these carrots! Carrot Top always produces the best!"

Applejack looked down at the submerged vegetables with a jaundiced eye. "Hmph, dunno what the big deal is. Ah reckon if ya gotta pull them up from the dirt, they ain't worth eatin.' Might as well leave 'em in the dirt where they belong."

Pinkie giggled. "Silly filly! You sound like Rarity getting all worry-warty about a little dirt!"

Rarity look affronted at the connection between her and warts but was saved from responding by Carrot Top opening the door.

"Well, hello everypony! What brings you here? Here for your weekly carrot order Fluttershy? I've got plenty for everypony!" She smiled a little extra sweetly at Applejack who rolled her eyes and snorted before Rarity nudged her in the flank.

Twilight smiled. "Well, actually Carrot Top, we're here to speak to Ditzy Doo."

Carrot Top blinked. "Really? Okay! She's upstairs giving Dinky a bath. C'mon in." She stepped back to let Twilight and her friends in. She called up the stairs. "Ditzy! You've got company!"

"Uh, okay! I'm almost done giving muffin her bath. I'll be down in a minute!"

Carrot Top smiled. "All right." She headed into the kitchen. "I can't let you leave without taking some carrots!" She gave Applejack a toothy grin that had nothing to do with friendliness. She came out of the kitchen with a bowl full of carrots and spent a moment arguing with half affection, half seriousness with Applejack about the superiority of their respective crops.

A few minutes later Ditzy Doo came down the stairs with little Dinky Doo on her back, giggling all the while. The unicorn filly had a towel wrapped around her mane and another on her back. She waved from her place on her mama's back. "Hello!"

"Aww, hi Dinky!" Pinkie waved back. "Hope you didn't spend too much time in the tub otherwise you'd get all wrinkly and shrink and then you'd be a wrinkly shrinky Dinky!" She shared a giggle with the little filly.

Ditzy smiled, her bright eyes alighting with pleasure even if they weren't facing the same direction. Twilight smiled too. "Ditzy Doo, can we talk to you about Rainbow Dash?"

Ditzy nodded but it was Dinky who answered. "Auntie Rainbow is loads of fun!" She chirped. "She likes to take me flying and buys muffins for me and mama!"

"Awww, that's very nice of her." Fluttershy smiled.

Ditzy leaned down to let Dinky hop off her back. "Muffin, why don't you help Auntie Carrot Top pick out some nice carrots for Fluttershy and she can show you her nice bunnies!" Dinky's eyes lit up and Applejack had to bite her tongue when she referred to Fluttershy's rabbits as "nice."

After Dinky followed Carrot Top into the kitchen, Ditzy turned back to Twilight. At least, Twilight thought she was facing her. With Ditzy's eyes it was a little hard to tell. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, um, does Rainbow Dash ever talk to you?"

"Hmm, sometimes!" Ditzy nodded. "She asks me where her latest _Wonderbolt__World_ magazine is, she asks me not to drop her mail in her rainbow pools, and one time she asked me why I was delivering a muffin." Ditzy paused. "I think I accidentally ate the mail for breakfast."

Twilight facehooved. "I meant does she ever talk to you about…personal stuff?"

Ditzy paused. "Well, after the Best Young Fliers Competition we talked about flying and stuff. She was so excited because I gave her a victory muffin! Oh and because she was with the Wonderbolts." Rarity and Applejack traded identical expressions of bemusement. Ditzy apparently missed the byplay as she continued on. "So, she babysits Dinky sometimes and we talk about new flying techniques."

"That sounds really nice…I didn't know you and Rainbow Dash were so close." Twilight admitted, feeling a little guilty that she didn't know this.

But it was Ditzy who suddenly looked embarrassed. "I asked her not to talk about it so much." She ruffled her wings. "Rainbow…gives me lessons. To help with flying. Depth perception troubles." She admitted, looking down.

"…Oh." Twilight winced, feeling awkward. "Um, so has she talked to you lately?"

Ditzy looked thoughtful. At least, as much as her countenance would allow her to look thoughtful. Then her eyes lit up. "Uh huh! She was here all afternoon!" Applejack grumbled something about wasted time under her breath. Ditzy continued. "She was a little upset so I gave her a muffin! I don't think it helped much though." She looked a little crestfallen at the realization that muffins weren't the solution to all of life's problems.

"Can you tell me what you talked about?" Twilight prodded.

Ditzy paused, her hoof scuffing at the ground. "I…I don't know…"

"Pleeease?" Twilight implored. "We want to help her but we can't if we don't know more."

"Weeell…we didn't talk a lot at first. She just sort of swung by, er, actually she sort of crashed into a door I left open." Ditzy gave a sheepish mix of a grin and a wince. "Anyway, I got her some ice and her muffin but she still seemed kinda down. She said something about ponies in town not being loyal and I…didn't really know what to say. So I went into the kitchen for some—"

"Muffins?" Applejack asked dryly. Ditzy gave her an odd look.

"Milk. I went to get her some milk." She rolled her mismatched eyes. "Honestly, it's like ponies think I'm obsessed with muffins for some reason!" Twilight coughed and Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. "Anyway, when I came back she was playing with Dinky and looking really happy!" Ditzy smiled and turned to look into the kitchen, where Dinky was eagerly showing Carrot Top a picture she made that was now on the fridge. "She looked so cheerful that I didn't want to ruin it. So I left Rainbow with Dinky and went out to do some errands."

Twilight looked disappointed. "Do you think we could talk to Dinky then?"

"All right. Muffin!" Ditzy called.

Dinky came scampering into the room, hopping around Carrot Top as she carried a basketful of carrots in her teeth over to Fluttershy. "Hee, yes mama?" Dinky asked as she ran up, coming to a stop in front of her mother and Twilight; her eyes big and gleaming.

The lavender unicorn's heart melted. If she wasn't one of the cutest fillies Twilight had ever seen…Ditzy smiled proudly at the look on Twilight's face. "I think you were going to ask my little muffin a question?" She prodded gently. Twilight's eyes snapped wide and she shook her head, flushing.

"Oh, um, right! Yes! Dinky, when Rainbow Dash was with you this afternoon, did you two talk?"

Dinky nodded. "Uh huh! When I came home from school Auntie Rainbow was laying on the couch. I think she wasn't feeling well because it looked like she had the sniffles."

Rainbow Dash was…crying? Twilight traded an uneasy glance with Applejack who simply shook her head. No, she'd never seen the rainbow mare cry either.

"So I showed her a trick I learned on the playground. Wanna see?" The filly asked eagerly.

Twilight nodded. "Of course Dinky, go ahead."

Dinky beamed and stood ramrod still in concentration. Licking her lips she took a deep breath and then kicked her hind legs off the ground…and stood precariously balanced on her front legs. "Ta da!" Dinky giggled. Ditzy clapped proudly.

"Wow Dinky, that was amazing!" Twilight smiled as the filly trembled and fell back on all fours. She was still smiling.

"Thanks! Scootaloo taught me! Auntie Rainbow liked it too. She said it was awesome! Then I started telling her about my day in school and the picture I made for mommy and that I got a perfect score on Miss Cheerilee's spelling quiz!" Dinky bounced in place. "She said she was very proud of me, that she didn't do so good in school but it was important that I stayed in school and made lots of friends!"

"Did she really?" Twilight raised her brow, mentally filing something away.

"Ah huh! She did! She said that friends were the coolest thing to have: they never let you down or leave you hanging! She said that her friends were 20% cooler than any others in the world!"

"She…she did?" Applejack swallowed a lump in her throat as she took her hat off her head.

"That was really…nice of her to say." Fluttershy murmured, her cheeks glowing warmly.

Dinky nodded. "Then she gave me a ride on her back so I could fly like mama! Then we made cookies but they didn't taste so good. They were kinda mushy." Dinky stuck out her tongue and made a face. "Aunt Dash said she was a pretty bad baker, so I made her a muffin! Mama taught me! Then we played hide and seek and we colored and had lots of fun until mommy came home from helping Dr. Whooves with his—hmpf!" Twilight blinked when Ditzy suddenly wrapped her hoof around Dinky's mouth.

"Ah heh…the Doctor likes his privacy." Ditzy grinned weakly as she gave her daughter a quick look and a small headshake. Dinky nodded in understanding. "Sooo…did Auntie Rainbow say anything else to you before she left?"

Dinky furrowed her brow, pursed her lips and strained her eyes upward as if in deep thought. It was adorable. "Um…..oh yeah! When she was saying goodbye she said I was a really lucky little filly cuz I had a great mommy who loved me," she giggled "and Auntie Carrot Top whose a really good friend even if she does silly things like dye her hair! They're really awesome and I never have to be alone!"

Carrot Top's eye twitched as she wrestled with the decision to thank Rainbow Dash for praising her to Dinky…or to buck her straight to the moon. Applejack coughed trying to cover up a snicker. Carrot Top glowered at her farming rival and then at Rarity, who looked completely confused.

Twilight ignored the sudden looks and exchanges as she rolled something around in her mind. Hmmm…thanks Dinky. You have a good night, okay? You've been a big help." Dinky smiled proudly at being able to help a grown up. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie shepherded Rarity and Applejack to the door and away from the annoyed Carrot Top. Twilight followed them out and stopped at the door. "Thank you for all your help Ditzy Doo." Twilight said sincerely. "It was a great help."

"So long as it helps Rainbow Dash, I'm glad to do it." She smiled. "Besides it's nice to meet new ponies and show them I'm not spacey and derpy as other ponies think." Ditzy smirked. Twilight gave a little flush. She HAD thought that. She started to apologize but Ditzy waved a hoof. "It's fine." Ditzy winked an eye. "Have a good night Twilight Sparkle! I hope you find Rainbow Dash and everything goes well!" She shut the door.

Twilight shook her head and turned around. "Come on girls, its getting late. Rainbow's probably back at her home and sleeping. We'll talk to her in the morning. Hopefully she'll be feeling better then."

As the five friends started walking away there was a shout from inside the house. It was Carrot Top. "Ditzabeth Eleanor Doo, what happened to all the food in my refrigerator? And what's this all over the walls?"

"Eheh heh." Ditzy gave a nervous chuckle to her roommate. "Uh, muffins?"

Dinky giggled. "You're silly mama!"


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Twilight stepped outside the library to find the sun obscured by a sea of clouds…despite the fact that today was scheduled to be a clear day. She sighed. "Oh Rainbow…" Shaking her head, she trotted outside trying to see if she could spot her pegasus friend napping on one of the clouds she should've been clearing. To her surprise though, she couldn't find Rainbow Dash on any of them. "That's odd. I wonder where she could be?"

As if in answer to her question, a rainbow trail suddenly bloomed across the blue sky. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight ran after it, which was heading towards the Everfree Forest.

At the edge of the woods Twilight stopped, panting and out of breath. She strained her neck as she saw Rainbow Dash fly over the expanse of trees and start performing a series of dives, twists, turns and other complex aerial acrobatic maneuvers. The lavender unicorn looked on in amazement. She had seen Rainbow Dash do some amazing things, but here she seemed determined to outdo them all (save perhaps for the Sonic Rainboom).

The longer Twilight watched though, the more worried she became. A lot of these tricks seemed awfully dangerous and even from the ground she could see the toll it was taking on Rainbow. Whenever she missed a trick or slipped up, Twilight could hear her exasperated curses and see her start the whole thing over again: except trying to go even faster to make up for lost time. Perhaps an hour and a half went by as Twilight silently watched Rainbow Dash give it her all and grow increasingly more frustrated whenever something didn't go exactly the way she wanted it. She performed maneuvers Twilight had only heard her talk about: her Super Speed Strut, the Fantastic Filly Flash, the Buckaneer Blaze, cloud spinning…the works.

Twilight was worried. There was something about this that seemed familiar, but what was it? She winced as it came to her. It reminded her of her own frustrations when she couldn't come up with a friendship report for Princess Celestia and of Applejack's own stubbornness and frustration when she had to apple buck all of Sweet Apple Acres and keep up her promises to her friends all at the same time.

"Rainbow Dash!" She called, hoping she could hear her. "I need to talk to you!" But Rainbow either couldn't hear Twilight or was ignoring her. She zoomed upwards, climbing higher and higher into the sky. Twilight's heart sank. She wasn't. She couldn't. Not after all the things she'd already been doing…

But she was. Dash started diving down as she prepared for a Sonic Rainboom. Only this time, she was going down in a corkscrew maneuver intended to add a little certain extra something to her signature move. But as Twilight had feared, Rainbow had already tired herself out and no matter how hard she pushed she couldn't break through the mach cone to create the Rainboom.

Rainbow Dash let out a startled yell as she snapped back against the incredible pressure operating against her. She tumbled head over hooves back into the air and then plummeted down—right into the Everfree. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted as she ran into the forest after her.

Pushing her way through bushes and thickets, Twilight headed deeper into the forest. She eventually found Rainbow Dash at the end of a long furrow in the ground, rubbing her head with her hoof.

"Urrrgh…" She groaned. Twilight was at her side in an instant.

"Rainbow Dash are you okay? Are you hurt? Are your wings broken? Do you need to see Nurse Tenderheart? Say something!"

"I would if you stopped talking long enough for me to get a word in!" Rainbow snapped. Twilight shrunk down. Rainbow Dash sighed. "Sorry Twilight. I just…I didn't want anypony to see me like this." She mumbled.

Twilight sighed and gently helped Rainbow back to her hooves. "Come on, it's not like I've never seen you crash before." Twilight winced when she saw Rainbow blush as she realized that what she said was precisely the wrong thing to say.

"Go ahead and laugh Twi. You and everypony else. After all, that's all I'm good for, right?" Rainbow asked bitterly, looking down. "Being a laughingstock?"

"You're not a laughingstock, Rainbow Dash."

"I kind of am, Twilight." She stomped her hoof. Then she blinked. "Huh, did you just get a weird feeling of day-whatsit?

"You mean déjà vu?"

"Whatever. The point is that the ponies in town have started to associate my rump with being a lightning rod! How am I supposed to have the Wonderbolts take me seriously if nopony else does?" Rainbow looked away. "How are you guys supposed to take me seriously?"

"Rainbow…" Twilight hadn't heard Rainbow sound this forlorn since the Best Young Fliers Competition. "We're your friends. We'd never laugh at you. Not like…that."

"Yeah?" Rainbow brightened for a moment, but it soon passed. "Then that makes just it the five of you out of all of Ponyville."

"Rainbow look, I've been reading a lot about your…situation and I think this can help." Twilight's horn glowed as she levitated a book out of her saddlebag. She held it up for Rainbow to read the title.

Rainbow squinted. "'How to Deal With Embarrassment 101: Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Embarrassment But Were Too Embarrassed to Ask'…seriously?"

"Right! Now ever since Trixie zapped your…dignity." Twilight amended at the last moment as she turned the book around and flipped through the pages. "You've been feeling what the book describes. There are several types of embarrassment, but most share a few common traits. The three components of embarrassment are emotional arousal or a feeling of heat, a sense of exposure and conspicuousness and a feeling of deficiency."

"Twilight, I really don't think—"

"The causes of embarrassment vary depending on situation." Twilight went on in her 'explaining voice.' All she needed was her soapbox. "For example there's identity management when you don't know the name of somepony that you should. There's also loss of poise—I think this one matches yours—which is related to a loss of self control, problems with clothing or loss of body control."

"Twilight…" Rainbow groaned, her face bright red.

"…other types include breaches of privacy, faux pas, being overly rewarded or praised…"

"Twilight…"

"Surprisingly you can get embarrassed even when you're alone because you can imagine how others would react if they had seen what you did in public, and we can feel embarrassed by watching somepony else be embarrassed."

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow barked, startling the unicorn into dropping her book. "I get it all right? Yes, okay, I'm embarrassed! Every pony's laughing at me and it's embarrassing! So I'm gonna fix it!"

"How?"

"My way! I'll just have to train twice as hard! Yeah, I'll become like, 200% more awesome than before! I'll be so cool that nopony will ever even remember what Trixie did!"

"But Rainbow—"

"And now that I don't have my lame-o job anymore I can spend all my time training and practicing!" Seeing Twilight's face she added. "Don't worry. Once everypony realizes just how amazing I am again and how lucky they are to have me around to clear the weather, I'll do my old job again." She frowned. "But not before they stop laughing. Until then…" She shrugged her wings. "Wonderbolts training time!"

"But Rainbow, you're trying too hard! Look at what just happened! I don't think your body—much less your wings—can take being put through that day after day!"

"I'm a pegasus Twilight, not a hummingbird! I can take a little punishment. My wings aren't going to fall off if you look at them funny." Rainbow retorted a bit angrily. "Besides, I *_think*_ I know my own body's limitations a little better than *_you.*_" Twilight lowered her ears. Rainbow snorted and tried to unruffle her feathers. "It'll be okay Twi. I'll be fine."

"But Rainbow…what about us?" Twilight asked quietly. "What about your friends?"

"…it'll be okay." Rainbow Dash repeated quietly. "Everything'll be cool once I get into the Wonderbolts. Then you'll have a totally awesome friend to be proud of instead of a…well, you know." She looked away.

"Rainbow Dash, you don't have to do all that. Not for us." Twilight wished she could will the stubborn pegasus into believing her. "We're friends with you, Rainbow Dash. It doesn't matter if you're a Wonderbolt or a weather mare. Not to us: Me and Applejack and Rarity and Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie."

"…See you around Twilight." Rainbow flapped her wings and took to the air, flying further out over the Everfree Forest.

Twilight lowered her head in defeat and sighed. A familiar lilting voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"Such a heavy heart, for one so young. Tell me, why are you so glum?" Twilight turned to see a familiar face.

"Oh hi Zecora…Uh, young doesn't rhyme with glum."

Zecora pulled a face. "Have you never read Frost? Take a peak! When a rhyme's not quite, it's called oblique." Zecora stamped her hoof for emphasis. "But a poetry lesson is not why I'm here. Now, what is truly troubling you my dear?"

"It's…a long story."

"Then come back with me and share your woes over a nice pot of tea." Zecora nudged Twilight in the flank and soon the young unicorn found herself following Zecora back to her home. It wasn't long until they found themselves sitting at a table in Zecora's surprisingly cozy hut. Twilight thanked her as she levitated a cup of warm tea up to her mouth. "Hmm, this is delicious! Thank you!"

"You are most welcome, Twilight my friend. You know that I have an ear I can always lend."

"It's Rainbow Dash." She sighed. "She's going through some…difficulties. We want to help her, but she keeps pushing everypony away."

Zecora's golden rings jangled slightly as she nodded her head. "As I often tell Apple Bloom, sometimes you must wait and give them room."

"Urg, but she's—I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself! She's so wrapped up in getting over this embarrassing thing that happened that she's decided to shut everypony out until she gets into the Wonderbolts or dies trying."

"Ah, I see the predicament. A hard thing to handle is embarrassment."

"Have you ever been embarrassed Zecora?" Twilight asked, before realizing that was a rather intrusive question. She was about to apologize when Zecora smiled.

"Has not every zebra and pony? Any who says otherwise is a big phony. And have you never heard said: what is white, black, and all over red?"

Twilight grinned weakly. "I guess you're right. But Rainbow…how I put it? She's so concerned with making sure everypony thinks she's cool that she just can't cope. She can't move on." She briefly explained what happened with Trixie and the lightning.

Zecora raised an eyebrow. "Ah, the one who work the slumbering bear? Such a racket I heard, coming from its lair. And poor Rainbow Dash and her poor bruised pride! As much as her outsides hurt, it hurts her more inside."

"I wish I knew what to do." Twilight looked down. "There isn't anything in my books that can heal a pony on the inside."

"My silly, clever chum don't you know when you're being dumb?" Zecora teased gently. "There is one true answer on which you can depend, be there for her—be her friend."

"B-but she said she doesn't want us…"

"Some times a friend says they wish to be alone; to think, to rest or to simply roam. Other times a friend will say that when feeling hollow; wishing to know if they have a friend who cares enough to follow."

"…You're right Zecora! Just like with Discord, I have to fight for our friendship!" Twilight stood swiftly, her eyes glinting. "Thank you Zecora! I'm going to head back home right now."

Zecora inclined her head. "Any time my dear. As for your friendship, I think you have nothing left to fear."

Twilight galloped on home as Zecora stepped outside her home and looked around at the green splendor that was the Everfree Forest. Most ponies found it frightening and mysterious, but Zecora knew how to find the hidden paths in the forest that took her around the lairs of deadly animals and away from patches of equally deadly plants. It was wild and untamed, much like her homeland.

Zecora sighed nostalgically as she remembered the sights and smells of Quaggania, her mother's grain soup, dust motes drifting through the window of her classroom, years of studying...her reminiscing was put on hold though, when she found what she was looking for. Or rather, when it found her.

"Hey Zecora." Rainbow Dash gave a sickly smile that was supposed to radiate confidence but fell somewhat short since she was limping and one eye was bruised.

The zebra clucked her tongue. "Do not 'hey Zecora' me young miss, when you come wobbling in all bruised and amiss."

"Who're you calling miss…" Rainbow's voice slurred slightly with faint protest as she limped her way inside.

Zecora shook her head as she closed the door behind them. "Once again you come for a healing brew, to fix the damage you've done to you?"

Rainbow groaned as she flopped down on Zecora's bed. "Ugh. Better make it a double, doc."

Rolling her eyes, Zecora made her way over to her shelves. Once the ponies had lost their fear of her, her potions and brews had become very popular among ponies in need of a cure. Rainbow Dash in particular was practically a regular, ever since she had injured herself during a particularly nasty storm and Zecora had to patch her up. Since then, Rainbow always came to Zecora whenever she injured herself doing some particularly featherbrained trick or maneuver. "Once again we travel down this familiar road, but today you are not the only one who came for me to lighten their load."

"Um, what?"

"Your friend Twilight came by most distressed and weary, concerned about a friend performing tricks of which she _should_ be leery."

"You…spoke to Twilight?" Rainbow lifted her head off the pillow, then grimaced regretting it.

"As I said. More attention to her you should've paid."

"Zecora, it's hard enough listening to Twilight when she's in full-on egghead mode. Listening to it in rhyming doesn't make it any easier. No offense."

Zecora's jewelry jangled as she shook her head. "Ah Rainbow Dash, I have cures to get rid of aches, pains, or a sprain. But sometimes I think you need a balm for your brain." Her words were spoken without any real anger or frustration, taking the bite out of them. Zecora had come to know Twilight Sparkle and her friends fairly well. She might not be their closest of friends with them, but she was close enough and with time had gotten to know how each of the six acted and usually why. And since Rainbow Dash had started to see her for her training-related injuries, Zecora had come to observe a few things about her.

Rainbow was a pony who didn't care if she was the smartest pony in the room. She didn't like to look foolish but she didn't mind if there was somepony—or zebra—else who was smarter than her, though she did grow impatient when told something she already knew. Perhaps it was part of her competitive nature. If she knew there was an event she could not hope to win, why bother competing and risk losing? Especially for something as non-physical and 'boring' as being smart?

But Zecora knew that Rainbow Dash was far from stupid or dumb. She had come to learn the difference between when Rainbow Dash was pretending to be dumb just to get ponies off their guard, pretending to be dumb because she was too lazy or impatient to think and wanted somepony else to do it for her, when she was pretending to be outrageously dumb to hide the fact that she actually didn't understand what was going on, and really being genuinely dumb. Rainbow chose not to think ahead, so as not to over think a maneuver or tie herself up in knots over worries and doubts; associating worrying and doubting with thinking and planning ahead.

Rainbow, at least, seemed to know as much herself so she didn't rise to Zecora's bait besides to cross her forelegs and pout. Zecora chuckled. "Come, make yourself comfortable Rainbow Dash, while I once again deal with consequences of you being rash."

"Hey, she who dares, wins." Rainbow pointed out as she rolled over on her belly and stretched out her legs.

Zecora started to dab ointment on Rainbow's cuts and bruises. The pegasus hissed but soon relaxed and felt her muscles unclench as the tension was released. "If this is your victory, youth of rainbow hue, a defeat you must truly rue."

"Mhhmem." Rainbow mumbled into Zecora's pillow. Shaking her head she went over to her shelf and returned with a potion that Rainbow guzzled with one quick gulp. "Thanks." She panted as the pain left her body like a visitor who finally figured out that they had overstayed their welcome. "I should get back home before I start feeling worn out again."

"If the night you wished to stay, I certainly would not send you away." Zecora offered gently.

Rainbow Dash looked up at her gratefully. "Thanks Zecora."

Inclining her head, Zecora walked away. Before she left Rainbow to her needed rest she paused. "One final note, this is not something you learn by rote." She turned to stare Rainbow right in the eyes. "Most creatures use false bravado to hide their weakness. That behind your false bravado lies an even greater strength is your true uniqueness."

Rainbow opened her mouth, but Zecora didn't wait for a response before blowing out the candles. It was just as well.

Rainbow Dash didn't have one.


	4. Chapter 4

_The first day of Summer Flight Camp. Rainbow Dash was so excited she couldn't stop her wings from buzzing like a bee. She couldn't wait until she got up in the air! For the moment the coach had taken them all down to the boring old ground. _

_When the coach wanted to see what they could do, it was all Rainbow could do to keep from whooping in glee. She flew as fast as she could across the track. She couldn't resist a giddy giggle as she heard the started exclamations and gasps of the crowd at her speed._

_ Rainbow grinned as she banked around and came back for a landing. But stopping seemed to be more difficult than starting. She reduced her speed and gently tried to lower herself until her hooves touched the ground._

_ The next thing she knew she was tumbling head over hooves on the hard ground. She bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming—or from possibly throwing up. After a panic filled lifetime that in reality was only a couple of seconds, Rainbow came to a stop—right in the middle of a muddy puddle._

_The young filly wiped the mud off her face as she heard the crowd of her peers that only a moment ago had been in awe of her skills were now laughing at the pitiful spectacle. Rainbow Dash felt her face burn beneath the cold mud as heat rode up her neck, her cheeks and even ears. She was just glad the mud was obscuring the tears welling in her eyes._

_A high-pitched young colt snickered. "Nice going Rainbow CRASH!"_

"_Ha ha, yeah! Rainbow Crash!"_

"_Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash!"_

_Rainbow wiped the mud off her reddened face, trying her hardest not to cry. It was only her first day but she had already learned an important lesson. Ponies who stood out were either admired or laughed at. Rainbow Dash knew which one she wanted to be._

Rainbow woke up with a start. "Whoa-oh!" She panted as she looked around. "Who, huh, wha?" Blinking the sleep from her eyes she found herself staring nose to nose with a creepy face leering at her. "Aah!"

She flailed, and fell out of bed onto the hard floor. Shaking her head she remembered where she was. "Oh right…" Rainbow looked around Zecora's hut. Potions in vials and bottles lined spaces on shelves and some even hung from the ceiling. And of course, the large masks that lined the walls. She glared at them. "At the risk of sounding like Rarity, Zecora could really use an interior decorator."

Rainbow climbed to her hooves and walked until she was about a pace away from the mask that had startled her. Because she was _totally_ not scared by a mask. At all. Nope. No way. She puffed up her face and stuck out her tongue in mimicry. Imitating that mask was no easy task. Could a pony—or zebra?—face really twist that way? Maybe Pinkie Pie's but other than that…

She leaned in, giving it a leering glower as she puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her tongue. The mask wobbled and Rainbow back up, giving a panicked yelp as the mask fell from its perch and landed on the floor with a rattle. The cyan pegasus panted at the sudden fright, her heart beating so loud she thought it might pop out of her chest.

"I bid you good day. Has sleep eased your cares away?"

"Huh? Zecora?" Rainbow looked around to find Zecora in the middle of the room…balanced precariously on a staff. On her head no less. With her eyes closed. "Um, uh…yeah, sorry about that." She picked up the mask and put it back on the nail it hung on. "Did you…see any of that?"

Zecora smiled serenely from her position. "I my meditative state I ignore all distractions and noise. My mind is calm so I may keep my poise."

"Oh. That's…cool." She said neutrally.

Zecora went on. "Why does it concern you if you were seen, before you primp and pump and preen?"

Rainbow shuffled her wings awkwardly. "W-well, when you're the coolest pony in town there are certain expectations that are well…expected, of you. A heh." She gave a weak chuckle.

"Ah, and that is all you are? The coolest by far?"

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked. But Zecora didn't say another word. "Well…okay, thanks for patching me up and letting me spend the night. I guess I'll be going now?" Still nothing. "Bye!" Rainbow zoomed out of Zecora's hut.

Rainbow Dash wanted nothing better than to get back to her training regimen but her stomach raised an objection. Realizing that she hadn't eaten since yesterday, she flew towards Sugarcube Corner.

Poking her head in, she saw that there weren't that many ponies inside. And behind the counter was none other than the party pony herself.

Pinkie Pie bounced in place. "Hiii Dashie! Oooooh I was hoping you'd come by! Do you want a cupcake? I made them special for you!" Before Rainbow Dash could blink Pinkie somehow was now on the other side of the counter and was shoving a tray full of rainbow-frosted cupcakes under Rainbow's snout. "Yummy yummy! They're rainbow-riffic!"

"Uh, thanks Pinkie." Rainbow slowly took a bite of one. "Hmm, these are really good!"

"Of course they are! I made them special for you and friendship cupcakes are at least twice as yummyriffic as your ordinary cupcakes which already really yummy!" She threw her front hooves around Rainbow's neck even as she managed to keep the tray of cupcakes balanced on her back.

"Well that's really cool of you Pinkie. I guess I'll take some cupcakes to go." Pinkie immediately gave her a full lipped Pinkie Pie Pout (Patent Pending).

"Go? Awww, why Dashie? You just got here!"

Rainbow Dash lowered her ears as she looked around. No pony seemed to be paying attention to her at the moment. Usually that would've annoyed her greatly but things being what they were…"I—I really wanna be alone."

Pinkie giggled. Too loudly for Rainbow's taste as other ponies started to turn their heads towards them. "Oh silly Rainbow! Why would you ever want to be alone? Don't you know….?" With a sudden feeling of dread, Rainbow Dash knew what was coming.

"Pinkie no, please don't—!" But it was too late. Pinkie Pie leaped onto the counter and started to sing.

"Life's a happy song when there's somepony by your side to sing along!

You've got everything that you ne-eed!

Right in front of you!"

Rainbow facehooved. Now everypony in the bakery was giving her and Pinkie a good look. A few started tapping their hooves. Say what you will, but Pinkie's tunes were rather catchy.

"No-othing's stopping you!

Nothing that you can't do that the world can throw at you!" Pinkie hopped and danced around on the counter.

"Everything is perfect, it's falling into place  
>I can't seem to wipe this smile off my face<br>Life smells like a rose!"

"With somepony to paint—" Cheerilee smiled.

"—With somepony to pose!" sang Blues.

"Life's a piece of cake!" Mrs. Cake beamed.

"With somepony to pedal—" Peachy Pie said as she skated past the window.

"—Somepony to break!" Sunny Daze sang right afterwards as she careened into Peachy Pie.

"Life is full of glee!" Chirped Twist.

"With somepony to saw—" Snips waved from the park playground's seesaw.

"—and somepony to see!" Snails agreed.

"Life's a happy song when there's somepony by my side to sing along!" Pinkie took back over.

"I've got everything that I ne-eed

Right in front of me!  
>No-othing's stopping me<p>

Nothing I can't be with you right here next to me!"

"Life's a piece of cake!" Mr. Cake provided, hugging his wife as he deposited a piece of cake to Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara.

"With somepony to give—" Silver Spoon looked longingly at the slice of cake in front of her.

"—and somepony to take!" Diamond Tiara added as she helped herself to the lion's share, not noticing Silver Spoon's pout.

"Life's a piece of pie!" Granny Smith crooned.

"With somepony to wash—" Berry Punch sang from across the street as she dunked some clothes into the washing basin.

"—and somepony to dry!" Finished Colgate as she put the wet clothes up on a laundry line.  
>"Life's an easy road!" Big Macintosh sang.<p>

"With somepony beside you to share the load!" Caramel chimed in as he and Big Macintosh carried bushels of apples on their backs to the market place.

"Life is full of highs!" Whooped Cloud Kicker as she soared past.

"With somepony to stir—" Started Pokey Pierce.

"—and somepony to fry!" Horte Cuisine agreed.  
>"Life's a bunch of flowers," Lily sang from her seat next to Rose and Daisy.<p>

"—With somepony to while away the hours!" Chimed in Lotus and Aloe.

"Life's a fillet of fish, hey!" Hayseed added as he suddenly walked past a window. There was an awkward pause.

"…Yes it is!" Pinkie led everypony in agreeing after a second. "Life's a happy song!"

"When there's somepony by your side to sing…" Lyra chimed from her booth as she wrapped a hoof around a beaming Bon-Bon.

"Life's a happy song!"

"When there's somepony by your side to sing…" Doctor Whooves agreed as he offered Ditzy Doo a muffin.

"Life's a happy song-when there's somepony by your side to sing alooooooong!"

Every pony in Sugarcube Corner (and immediately outside it) but Rainbow Dash joined in on the end. Somehow Gummy appeared in his little black tuxedo and grinned his toothless grin. Pinkie hopped down and gave her friend a wide smile. "See?"

Rainbow Dash blinked, shook her head and said the only thing she could say to that. "Pinkie Pie…you are SO random."

"Aww c'mon silly!" Pinkie wrapped her hoof around Rainbow's neck and gently mussed up her mane. "We're all friends here! Sugarcube Corner is the happiest place in Equestria! I would've said on earth, but that phrase is copyrighted and I'm never quite sure what planet we're supposed to be on…"

"Pinkie Pie, NO pony is sure what planet you're on." Rainbow rolled her eyes as she pulled her head free.

"You say the funniest things Rainbow!" Pinkie giggled. "You always make me laugh! That's why you're my best prankster pal ever! And now I'm gonna make you all smiley and not frowny so everything can go back to normal! So will you give Pinkie a just a little teeny tiny rainbow smile?" She asked hopefully, her blue eyes big and pleading. It wasn't in the category of Fluttershy's Stare or Apple Bloom's pout, but it was in the very next level beneath them.

"Pinkie…" Rainbow Dash groaned as she looked away. "Don't do that—I'm not in the mood."

Pinkie gasped dramatically—though really how many other ways are there to gasp? Oh darn that pony, she's got ME doing it! Anyway, Pinkie looked gobsmacked. She had been meaning to look gobsmacked before but could never manage to pull it off. "Not in the mood to smile? Oooh, this calls for extreme measures!" Pinkie dove behind the counter. Before Rainbow could blink she found herself flat on her back as a pink blur tackled her and plunked her pink rump down on her belly.

"Pinkie, what are you do—eeek!" Rainbow gave a little squeak as she felt something tickle her belly. She raised her head to see Pinkie clutching a feather duster in her mouth. "Pinkie don't you da-hahaahare!" Rainbow squeaked as Pinkie started tickling her. "Hahaha, s-stahhapit!" Over her own laughter, she could hear the giggles from the bakery's patrons. Rainbow felt her face heat. "P-pinkie! Haheek! Quitit!"

Pinkie's reply was muffled by the feather dusters in her mouth. But when she didn't get off, Rainbow bucked. The pink earth pony flailed her arms and slid off Rainbow's belly. Rainbow Dash immediately rolled over and climbed back to her hooves, shaking herself out. Amid the odd giggles, Rainbow stormed out the front door.

"Dashie wait!" Pinkie called from behind her. Rainbow Dash didn't turn around. She turned a corner only to find herself face to face with Pinkie Pie.

"Auugh!" Rainbow leapt back. "How did—but you were-ooh, Pinkie!" She fumed and tried to shoulder past her but the little pink pony was sturdier than she looked. "Pinkie Pie, let me through!"

"Nu uh! I just wanted to make you happy Dashie! I'm sorry." Pinkie gave Dash such a sad look that even Rainbow Dash couldn't stay mad at her. But she did cross her forelegs across her chest and sit down on her rump, sulkily facing away from Pinkie.

"That was NOT cool Pinkie! I've got enough ponies laughing at me without you doing that in front of everypony!"

"Aww, but it was just in good fun!"

"Pinkie Pie I've got a reputation to uphold! You don't look cool when you're being sat on and tickled!"

"But Dashie, you're always cool!" Pinkie said like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Duh!"

"Y-yeah? Well—well I know that! It's everypony else that needs to remember it!" Rainbow huffed.

Pinkie giggled. "Silly Rainbow! You can't be so worried about how other ponies look at you that never have any fun! If you're soooo busy looking all cool and awesome-y then when are you gonna have time to have fun?"

"Hey, being cool and awesome is fun!" Rainbow protested.

"Am I cool?" Pinkie suddenly asked.

Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion. "Well, yeah, Pinkie, you're pretty cool."

"And I like to have fun! That's what I do! So smiling and having fun makes me cool! Ergo, you don't have to be cool to have fun! You have to have fun to be cool!" Pinkie concluded, whipping off a pair of glasses with her hoof that had somehow appeared without Rainbow Dash noticing where they had come from.

Rainbow took a moment to process this. "…ergo?"

"Yeah, I dunno what that means either. Twilight says it a lot. I thought it had something to do with waffles but...but that's not important!" Pinkie shook her head, surprising Rainbow by cutting off her own tandem for once. "Anyway, you can't be so worried about how you look that you never enjoy yourself! It's—oooh! It's like Rarity when she's so worried about dirt and stuff that she can't bring herself to have fun! Or when Twilight wants to study and study and study and not come out to play!"

Rainbow Dash frowned. "I…I dunno Pinkie. I guess—I need some time to think about this."

"Try not to take too long." Pinkie suddenly hugged her. "You're our friend Dashie. Please don't leave us behind?"

The pegasus suddenly felt struck by something she couldn't explain as she wrapped her hooves around Pinkie. "Never gonna happen Pinkie. Even I'm not fast enough to leave you gals behind." She smiled. "Now c'mon enough of this mushy stuff. I'm gonna go train and you better get back before Ditzy cleans out your stocks of muffins."

Pinkie jolted as if stung. "Ooh! Right! Um, see you later Rainbow Dash! Think about what I said and remember," she looked at her seriously. "If I make cupcakes too cool then they'd freeze and everypony would have to go see the dentist could they'd chip their teeth and the dentist would have to fix our teeth and it hurts a lot and then nopony's happy. Okay?" Pinkie smiled as she said everything without taking a single breath. Then she pulled out a tray of cupcakes from her _mane_ and left it for Rainbow Dash. Then she hopped back to work, leaving Rainbow there to shake her head.

"So. Completely. Random."

"Okay Rainbow Dash, c'mon. You can do this! You can totally do this!" Perched on a stray cloud at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash got into her pre-flight position. "Ready. Set. GO!" With a mighty kick that ended up breaking up the cloud she had been sitting on, Rainbow launched forward. She flew down until she was only a few feet from the ground. Then she started to weave her way around the apple trees through the densest part of Sweet Apple Acres. This was called slaloming. It was the ultimate test of agility, requiring swift banks, rapid turns and razor-sharp reflexes.

Rainbow Dash loved it.

Her mane fluttered in the wind as she twirled, narrowly avoiding a large Red Gala apple tree. She dove up and between two of the larger branches of a tree sporting Golden Crisp apples. "I am totally in the zone!" She pumped a hoof. "Oh yeah, I am awesome!" She slipped between a pair of trees. "I am amazing!" Rainbow darted between the branches of another. "I am—"

"RAINBOW DASH?" Applejack shouted as she saw the rainbow blur heading towards her. Rainbow's eyes widened as she started flapping her wings backwards, trying to pull back and away but it was too late.

"Oh horseapples."

Rainbow closed her eyes as she bowled Applejack over. The two mares became entangled as tumbled head over hooves through the orchard.

"Daaagnabbit Rainbow!" Applejack yelped as they rolled downhill, coming into a stop in a small pond. "Pfffff!" The farm pony sputtered as she crawled out of the pond, her coat dripping and her hat plastered to her face. Rainbow Dash emerged a second later.

"Ugh…that was awesome, but uncool." She shook herself off, then winced when she saw the doubly doused Applejack glare at her. "Er, whoops? Sorry about that."

"Darnit Dash!" AJ grit her teeth and fought the urge to explode at her friend. She counted to ten. She was still mad so she counted to twenty. Then she sighed. "Look, it's just as well that I ran into ya, or the other way 'round anyways. Can we talk?"

Rainbow sighed. "Do we have to?"

"Yes." Applejack said firmly. Then her face softened. "Rainbow, we're worried about you. Hyped up like a hummingbird that got into th' coffee, crashing all over the place, trying to avoid everypony…"

"AJ, I need to do this!" Rainbow flared her wings in emphasis. "I need to rebuild my image!"

"Sugarcube, you need to relax! You're letting your dangblasted pride get the better of you!"

"_MY_ pride? You're the _last_ pony in town, no, in *_Equestria_,* who should be talking about pride getting in the way! Remember, Miss Sleep Deprived Super-Bucker?"

"Well, that makes me you-niquely qualified to talk some sense into that thick skull of yours." AJ took a deep breath. She didn't want to get into a shouting match with Rainbow. It only made her dig in more. "Rainbow, yer right, I acted like a foal throughout that whole business. I could've spared myself and my friends a whole lotta grief if I had just _listened_ to Twilight when she offered me her help in the first place."

"So, what I shouldn't care what ponies say about me? Shouldn't care that they snicker when I go past and wondering if I can rent out my rump as a lightning rod?"

Applejack bit down hard to prevent herself from snorting or showing any amusement. "W-well, maybe you shouldn't mind so much…"

Rainbow Dash frowned then she suddenly shrugged and said "Okay."

"…Really?" Applejack blinked. Dash nodded.

"Yeah, I guess it is a bit silly…it'd be like if you got all worked up over all that talk going around town about you."

"Just a mite bit sil—what's that now?"

"What do you care, it isn't important right? I mean, so what if you put on a few pounds? You're allowed to let yourself go a little—and hey, who could blame you with all of Granny Smith's delicious apple pies?" Rainbow asked airily, waving a hoof nonchalantly.

Applejack turned her head to look at her hindquarters. They DID start to look a little…plumper than she'd like. "Uh, yeah." She replied dully.

"And hey, at least they're talking about that instead of that rumor about you having a roll in the hay with Caramel."

"WHAT?" Applejack's hat almost flew off her head as she stamped her hooves on the ground. "Why of all the lousy, rotten, ridiculous notions ah ever heard that is-!" She paused when she saw the smug look on Rainbow's face. "…ponies ain't saying a thing, are they?"

"Hm, no." Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly. "Why, did it *_bother*_ you when you thought they were? When you thought that it was *_your*_ reputation that was being dragged through the mud?"

AJ counted to ten. Again. "Look…I understand what you're saying. Yer right, ah do care what ponies think about me, say about me. All ponies do, whether they say they do or not." Rainbow smirked triumphantly. Applejack waved her hoof. "Hold on there, nelly, ah ain't done yet. It's one thing to care about what ponies think about you. Being so wrapped up in trying to change how you're thought about that you don't do anything else…that's something else." She could see that Rainbow Dash didn't see the distinction.

The earth pony sighed. "You brought up when I went full out trying to harvest the entire orchard all by my lonesome and do all those things ah said I'd do in town. It was embarrassing having to admit to Twilight that I was wrong and needed help to manage my own farm. It was embarrassing that I caused a bunny stampede through town. And it was sure a shootin' embarrassing when ah sent over a dozen ponies to the clinic because I put earthworms and potato chips into cupcakes." AJ shuddered. "No pony ate anything ah baked for weeks after that, and you _know_ how good I am at fixin' up vittles." Rainbow nodded in agreement. "That ate at me something bad. But all I could do was apologize, do my best to make up for it and wait for ponies to move on and give my baking another go. And now everypony trusts me again…so long as ah get my sleep." She smirked ruefully.

"I see you didn't say anything about falling on your face repeatedly and then launching me into Twilight's balcony." Rainbow noted laconically. AJ facehooved.

"…That too. But Rainbow, you weren't listening. I jest made a joke about what happened. At the time, yeah, it was embarrassing as all get out. But once you give it a little time and a little distance it doesn't hurt so bad. You've got to learn not to take yerself so seriously all the time or you'll drive yourself nuts. Laugh at your mistakes. Become part of the joke and it don't sting as much. I promise."

"But everypony in town. They just…_laugh_. All of them." She sounded so forlorn and miserable that Applejack trotted over and put her hoof on Rainbow's withers.

"Ah don't think it is everypony. You haveta realize that folks 'roudn these parts kin get all sorts of nonsense into their heads and get themselves worked up over nothing. Remember when Zecora first moved in? A few ponies started whispering nonsense and it spread. Even WE hid when Zecora came to town remember?" She prodded. Rainbow Dash reluctantly nodded. "Us! Yer the bravest—and most foolhardy—pony ah ever known and ah ain't a chicken neither, but mah knees were a quakin' when Zecora came to town. And remember how everypony acted when Princess Luna showed up for Nightmare Night? First they were all scared of her, then they liked her, then they were all scared of her again, then by the end of the night they were all friends again! And remember when Apple Bloom got Cutie Pox? A few ponies got scared or worked up and it infected everypony else, like a stampede!"

Rainbow Dash suddenly had a mental image of being trampled by a stampede of everypony in Ponyville. She shuddered.

AJ continued. "Ponies around here, are, well, a mite easy to lead. But, the thing about stampede is, that once you head them off and give them some time to think they realize that they made a big deal over nothing and it all goes back to normal. It'll be the same way here. You'll do something all awesome-like and cool and they'll realize just how foalish it was to raze you about Trixie and the lightning."

"But that's what I've been _TRYING_ to do!" Rainbow Dash all but wailed.

"Exactly mah point!" Applejack prodded Dash's chest with her hoof. "You been trying too hard! You're at your most awesome when you ain't TRYING to be awesome, you get me? It's like Apple Bloom and her friends with their Cutie Marks. The harder they try to get them, the longer it'll take for them to realize what their true talents are. But if they're *_patient*_ and let it come naturally, their problems will be over. Just like yours."

"I don't know Applejack…patience isn't exactly my strong suit." Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings. "And…and I don't think I can wait much longer. It's just so _bad_ even going into town that I—"

"Rainbow…" Applejack said softly. Rainbow Dash backed up.

"I—I gotta fly. Sorry for crashing into you!" Rainbow lived up to her name and dashed off.

Applejack stamped her hoof. "Darnit Rainbow! Too gosh durn stubborn for her own good." She muttered, familiar with the concept of irony but clearly wanting no truck with it.

Rainbow Dash zoomed across Sweet Apple Acres, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. Her mind full of turmoil, she responded the only way she knew how: by flying her heart out.


	5. Chapter 5

"Fluttershy darling, don't you agree that this was a wonderful idea?" Rarity beamed at her cream colored companion as she set up her camera on a tripod.

"Oh yes, it's…nice." She mewed softly as she dug her hoof into the ground. It was a few days after Applejack's most recent conversation with Rainbow Dash. The rainbow pegasus had made herself scarcer than ever. No pony had ever seen her in town, or even napping on her usual clouds. When they did spy a glimpse of her, all they saw was a rainbow contrail flashing against the blue sky as Rainbow tried out new routines and tricks.

It was a warm sunny day, thanks to Cloud Kicker and Raindrops clearing the skies in Rainbow Dash's stead, and Rarity had taken Fluttershy down to the pond.

"Fluttershy, trust me. My new line of swimwear will be all the rage this summer! And I couldn't think of anypony I'd rather have modeling them than you!"

"But um, I still don't understand why a pony would wear clothes in the water…" Fluttershy looked at the frilly pink outfit that adorned her body, complete with sleeves for her legs.

Rarity giggled demurely. "That's what makes it genius darling!" She looked out from behind the camera. "Now, give me that famous Fluttershy charm and smile!"

"Um, like this?" Fluttershy gave a tiny smile that was mostly obscured as she hid her face behind her mane. Rarity's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. "…too much?" She asked. Rarity didn't answer. She just raised a shaking hoof and pointed at something behind Fluttershy. Turning, Fluttershy felt her own eyes widen as she saw a tremendous wave rising out of the lake and bearing down upon them! "Eep." She covered her eyes.

The wave crashed over them. Their whole world became a blur of blue and white. When it was finally over and she didn't feel herself being tossed around anymore, Fluttershy risked opening an eye. She coughed and looked around. Fluttershy found herself hanging from branch up in a tree. She clutched it for fear of falling.

"R-rarity?" She looked around. Then she heard a terrified shriek. "Oh my gosh, Rarity! Are you okay?"

"No!" came a low pitiful moan. Fluttershy saw Rarity standing beneath the tree she was currently in. "My _mane_!" Despite it all, Fluttershy sighed. She knew that if Rarity's biggest complaint was her mane, she was fine.

"I think it looks really nice that way." Fluttershy said sincerely. Rarity looked at her as if she had turned into Pinkie Pie.

"I appreciate your effort at making me feel better, but it's no use! I know I look a frightful mess when my perfectly coiffed coiffure is ruined!"

"…but I meant it…" Fluttershy murmured quietly. Then her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, how am I going to get down?" She clenched the branch tightly, her hooves scraping the branch as she tried to haul herself up.

It was Rarity's turn to look incredulous. "Fluttershy, dear? Aren't we forgetting something?" She flapped her forelimbs for emphasis.

Blushing, Fluttershy nodded. "O-oh. Right. Sorry." She slowly flapped her wings and lowered herself to the ground, albeit a bit faster than she meant to. Wet wings tended not to work as well.

"Oops, sorry ladies!" Fluttershy and Rarity looked up and saw Rainbow Dash hovering above them. "Didn't see you there."

Rarity stamped a dainty hoof in protest. "Rainbow Dash just what in Equestria do you think you were doing?"

The cyan pegasus beamed at the opportunity to explain her trick. "You know how you can see rainbows when the light hits water droplets just right? Well, I figured I would zoom over the water in the middle of the lake and then there would be _two_ rainbows created on either side of me by my wake! A Double Water Rainbow! Hmm, gonna need a cooler name for it though."

Rarity pouted and threw her head back. Fluttershy tried to defuse the situation. "I'm sure it looks really cool Rainbow Dash. Woohoo. I mean, I just wish I saw it before the wave knocked me up into that tree."

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. "Yeeah, sorry about that. But you bet your flank it's cool! Took me a while to get it juuust right but was it ever worth it!"

"I'm…glad for you dear." Rarity ground out, trying to be generous despite her wet mane.

"Heh, would you believe that Twilight and the others are telling me to take it easy with the training?" Rainbow cackled. "Pff. Ridiculous right?" Rarity and Fluttershy exchanged a glance. "…what was that about?"

"Well Rainbow perhaps it would be, um, nice if you did relax a bit. I mean, it can't be good to train all the time, not that you aren't good you're very good but well…" Fluttershy trailed off under Rainbow Dash's gaze.

"What Fluttershy means is that you really should consider not getting so wrapped up with your exercises dear. Stress can do terrible things to your complexion." Rarity chimed in.

Rainbow Dash flapped over to Rarity, hanging upside down in front of her. "Oh please Rarity! You're the most stressed-out pony I've ever known! You worry about how every hair in your mane looks, you worry about how your coat looks, you worry how your dresses look, how your business is doing, worry about Sweetie Belle, other ponies grammar and manners, worry about meeting the right stallion, worrying about getting the right clients…you freak out over every little thing!"

"A lady does not 'freak out' Rainbow Dash." Rarity sniffed. Under the combined glances of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash she felt obliged to add, "Besides, I know how to relax when I need to: I enjoy having tea, going to the spa and some of my own work—when it's not for an order or under a deadline—can be very relaxing for me!"

"Well, nothing makes me feel better than flying and training!" Rainbow crossed her legs over chest smugly. "Check and mate! King me!"

"…" Rarity coughed daintily into her hoof. "Yes, well, Rainbow darling you have been throwing yourself into your training rather hard from what I hear…into the ground, hard, if you catch my drift."

Rainbow glowered, and humphed. "Yeah yeah. But hey, practice makes perfect. Or in my case, practice makes perfect even more perfectly awesome."

"But Rainbow I haven't seen you in Ponyville for days. It's like you're avoiding everypony." Fluttershy said softly.

"Fluttershy, you of all ponies, is going to call me out over not being more outgoing in town? Seriously?" Rainbow Dash demanded, causing Fluttershy to crouch down and hide behind her mane. Rarity frowned at Rainbow Dash hard enough to get her to back up. "…sorry Fluttershy." Rainbow looked down.

"Oh no, it's okay." She assured her. "It's just, um, you're not, well, like me. Avoiding ponies isn't something you do. Back at Flight Camp you stood up for me when ponies were making fun of me…I don't—I don't know why you can't do that for yourself."

"That's TOTALLY different!" Rainbow threw up her hooves in emphasis.

"How?"

"It…it just…it just is okay?" She shouted in a mix of frustration and anger.

Rarity gently tapped Fluttershy. "Ahem, Fluttershy could you be a dear and get my camera before it's washed into the lake? I would like to have a word with Rainbow Dash, please."

"Oh, uh, okay." Fluttershy looked from one pony to the other as she meekly nodded and flew off. Rarity turned back to Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow dear, I know we don't see eye to eye on many things but I think we're more alike than you realize." Rainbow's incredulous look said it all. "Now now, hear me out. Both of us have dreams, ambitions! We both want to make a name for ourselves as the best: be it the best and most beautiful fashion designer in all of Equestria," She turned her head, showing off her illustrious mane "or being Equestria's best flier and Wonderbolt. You and I know that one must stand out to be noticed, that second-best simply will not do!" Rainbow Dash nodded, smiling a bit.

"You know Rarity, there's a lot more to you than I would've thought."

"Why thank you darling. And I think the same of you." Rarity smiled at the perturbed expression on Rainbow's face. "However, part of the problem of putting yourself forward is that it's much more obvious when you suffer a setback than a pony who does not. It's much more noticeable and is frankly, all the more mortifying for it."

"Amen." Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Indeed." Rarity quirked one delicate eyebrow. "Do you recall our little fashion show for Hoity Toity?"

Rainbow winced. "Aww geez, are you gonna bring that up? We said we were sorry for rejecting your designs!"

"And I appreciate that, but that is not my point. Do you recall how all of Ponyville laughed at me when Hoity Toity mocked *_your*_ designs?" She made certain to emphasize that the designs were most certainly NOT hers. Rainbow Dash nodded. "And I'm sure you recall my little…episode afterwards? Every pony was laughing at me! I felt like a laughingstock!"

"So THAT'S why that sounded familiar…" Rainbow muttered.

"What was that?"

"Er, nothing. Sorry."

"So anyway, I have been in your horseshoes Rainbow Dash and I didn't like it at all. I do know what you're going through darling." Rarity assured her.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Yeah, I remember. Thanks. How…how did you manage it?" She looked up at Rarity. Unspoken was the admission that Rainbow Dash didn't think she could.

"Well, having Hoity Toity simply _rave_ about my designs certainly helped ponies change their tune and restore my reputation. I also consoled myself that they were, in their backhooved way, paying me a compliment."

"…Come again?" Rainbow asked.

Rainbow, none of those ponies who laughed at me were designers. Only a hooffull of them had probably ever sewed anything themselves. If it weren't for Hoity Toity's comments, they wouldn't have known _WHAT_ to think of those outfits. Recall when I applauded Fluttershy's rather dreadful performance at her last modeling show? Everypony who had hated it started applauding because *I* applauded and *I* of course, was wonderfully dressed, as usual."

"Uh, I wasn't there but Twilight told me about it, yeah. I don't see the point though."

"The point is, if any of them had tried designing their own outfits I'm sure that most of them would have come out as dreadful as yours—no offense intended. They were laughing because they thought those dresses were of _my_ design. They thought if funny because Hoity Toity thought they were dreadful and because they expected better of me. They knew I made the most fashionable outfits in all of Ponyville and so they thought it was…'_amusing__'_…when I produced those requested dresses. Do you think they would've laughed if Lily or Big Macintosh or Raindrops had created those dresses? Why would they; they know that known of them have any talent for dress making. They might expect other ponies to create such horrendous designs but they didn't expect it of me and that is where the source of their…amusement derived. In doing so they acknowledged, in their crass way, that I was and remain a good cut above the rest. Their expectations of me were higher because they knew I was capable of better."

"I…didn't think of it like that." Rainbow admitted, not entirely sure if she was following.

Rarity continued. "And secondly Rainbow Dash, is that I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of ponies are…shall we say, easily persuaded when it comes to their opinions of ponies, which is my point about Fluttershy's last walk?"

"Yeah, Applejack kinda pointed that out to me." Rainbow nodded.

"Yes, well, I'm sure Applejack would have some quaint saying about the nail that sticks out being the one to get hammered, but there is a truth there, albeit tackily dressed. When you try to stand out you will experience hostility from ponies who you have outshined, jealousy from a few, but mostly inflated expectations of perfection and increased attention to any mistake—real or perceived. And when—not if—you should make even the slightest misstep, you can be sure that the ponies who just yesterday adored you will howling the loudest against you; as if they are ashamed that they ever liked you. Such is the price that ponies like you and myself undergo as part of our quest to be the very best. Yet we must raise our hides proudly high in spite of and because of the adversity we face!"

"For after all…" Rarity raised her hoof dramatically. "It is not the critic who counts; not the pony who points out how the strong pony stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the mare who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends herself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if she fails, at least she fails while daring greatly. So that her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat!"

Rainbow's jaw dropped. "Um…wow. Just wow. I never knew you were so…that."

Rarity beamed. "Well, I did spend a few years in my school's drama club."

"…okay, that shouldn't have come as a surprise to anypony." Rainbow snorted. Her face softened. "Thanks Rarity. That was really…cool. You're cool."

"Again, thank you." Rarity said primly. "I understand your frustration and why you feel so upset with the ponies who laughed at you. But that doesn't make them bad ponies and it certainly doesn't you any less spectacular."

"…Thanks Rarity. I—I really appreciate that." She ruffled her wings. "I—I don't know if I can face the town yet though. Not before I do something to make them respect me again. Like your second show for Hoity Toity. But…maybe sometime later you and I can hang out or something."

Rarity's eyes gleamed. "I would like that very much Rainbow Dash. I have such wonderful ideas for your mane…"

Rainbow Dash suddenly backed up. "Uh oh look I think I hear the wind calling me! See ya!"

She zoomed off. Fluttershy trotted up a moment later and deposited Rarity's camera next to her. "That was very nice what you said to Rainbow Dash. I-I never knew you were so…deep."

Rarity smiled. "I'm a lady of many talents. Now then, where were we…oh yes!" She smiled happily as she looked at Fluttershy, who was still wet and wearing Rarity's swimsuit. "My outfit looks simply darling even when wet! Oooh this is simply going to make my career!" She held up her camera. "Now then, give me a smile!"

Rainbow Dash soared across the sky. Talking with her friends made her feel ten pounds lighter and twice as fast. Effortlessly she swooped through a cloud bank, enjoying the feel of puffy cloud and moisture on her coat. She closed her eyes. Perhaps things weren't as bad as she had made them out to be. Besides, everypony probably already had moved beyond the whole lightning thing by this point.

Right?

A sudden bleat made Rainbow snap her eyes open. She was heading straight into a formation of ducks! Banking hard, she swerved around them. But she had startled them enough to create a symphony of startled quacks and squawks. Rainbow gritted her teeth. The noise was so loud and flat and crass. It reminded her of nothing else as much as the sound of laughter. Cruel, mocking laughter.

The same laughter from her dreams. The same laughter she heard when Trixie zapped her rump with lightning and from her tormentors from Flight Camp and school. It was pointed, hot and definitely not a "laughing with you" laugh. Rainbow felt her cheeks heat. She swore she could feel individual pinpricks from each drop of blood that suddenly swarmed to her cheeks. Her stomach felt like she had just lost her lunch. The feeling was just so horrible she actually felt herself drop a couple of feet.

She couldn't go back into Ponyville to face that. Not until she was sure that everypony had moved on and forgotten about. Until she was sure that they wouldn't laugh at her anymore. Or ever again.

"It'll be okay." She assured herself, her voice cracking slightly. "When I'm a Wonderbolt everypony will wish they were me! They'll never laugh at me again! Never again…"

Any ponies below her would've felt drops of moisture falling, despite there not being a single dark cloud in the sky.


	6. Chapter 6

Rainbow Dash had stopped sleeping. Or at least she tried to. Whenever she slept all she could see were nightmares of her failing in some particularly public and humiliating fashion. The worst part was when they were actual memories of such things. She stopped taking her usual naps and tried to avoid sleep as much as she could. She only caught two or three hours of sleep a night.

She stopped going into Ponyville entirely.

Rainbow Dash's mane always had a somewhat scruffy, but good look to it. Now it just looked extra scruffy. While she hated being all frou-frou, Rainbow was not indifferent to how she looked. She just had her own standards. Only now she wasn't keeping them. Her eyes looked bloodshot and Rarity could probably fit a pair of dresses in each of the bags under her eyes. Her feathers were ruffled, her coat messy and her face worn.

Brooding in her cloud home, Rainbow occasionally glared out the window down at Ponyville: The town that needed her one day only to mock her the next. Ingrates.

She was so focused that she didn't even hear the soft flutter of wings that announced the presence of another pony. Perhaps ten minutes had passed before Rainbow thought she heard the tiniest of "ahems."

Rainbow Dash turned around to see her oldest friend hovering behind her. "Um, oh hello Rainbow." Fluttershy said demurely. "S-sorry for sneaking up on you, I hope you don't mind if I let myself in. If you want I can go—"

"It's fine." Rainbow said flatly before turning back around to stare out the window. "What do you want?"

"Rainbow Dash, you look just awful. Um, no offense! I mean you look nice, but very tired. We're worried about you and, we want to help." Rainbow said nothing. She didn't even move. "Rainbow…don't you, um, think you're taking this a little too seriously? After all, I'm sure it's not everypony whose, um…"

"Laughing their flanks off at me?" Rainbow deadpanned, half turning around.

"Well…" Fluttershy said meekly.

"Uhg, just forget it Fluttershy!" Rainbow stomped around the room, the satisfaction dimmed by the fact that clouds really aren't ideal for stomping. "They're not worth it! Bunch of lousy, ungrateful jerks!" She shouted at the open window.

"R-rainbow!"

"NO! Don't you even try to defend them!" Rainbow's nostrils flared as she snorted. "They went and stabbed me between the wings! How many storms have I helped avert? How many Winter Wrap Ups have I led? How many awesome tricks have I pulled off and how many monsters have I fought that they were all too scared to do anything about: Nightmare Moon, Discord? But NO! All they remember about me now is that Rainbow Dash is the pony whose rump is a magnet for lightning strikes!"

Rainbow trembled as she screamed all her anger and frustration out. "It's not as if Ponyville's the easiest place to live! Oh sure it's nice and it's sweet and everything but it's BORING! In Cloudsdale there was always something for a pegasus to do! Races, contests, shows! Out here you could hear a pin drop all the way from Sweet Apple Acres it's so boring! It's practically the end of the world! I could do a double rainboom out here and the Wonderbolts would never even know! Ponyville barely has any pegasi and none of them can measure up to me." Fluttershy stooped down, letting Rainbow rant. "You know why I take so many naps? Okay, yeah I like sleeping and my flying does take a lot out of me. But mostly? I'm just waiting for something to happen because I'm just so BORED!

"But I still loved this town! You were here, the others were here and I could have a lot of fun even if they couldn't fly. And, hey—remember Discord? When he started soaking Cloudsdale—my home town!—with a major cola storm, I said I'd stay in Ponyville until I got the weather under control! I put Ponyville first! When Gilda showed up and acted like a jerk to you and the other ponies here? I sent her packing, one of my oldest friends! I tried to do the same thing with the Loud and Obnoxious Trixie when she started acting like a jerk to the ponies here, but they all laughed!" Rainbow's breath grew ragged as she tried to swallow a sudden thickness in her throat. "After everything I've done for them…"

"Maybe you should give the ponies here another chance…" Fluttershy started.

"Oh no!" Rainbow shook her head. "After those losers busted a gut from laughing at me? They can clear their own weather. See how they like it when lightning starts crackling down around their heads! And hey, who knows? Maybe I'm just not COOL enough to save them from the next monster that comes skulking out of the Everfree! Maybe they can laugh at it and see if it goes away! One day they're 'Rainbow do this, Rainbow do that' the next I'm a laughingstock! They aren't worth it Fluttershy! They're just….just a bunch of flip-flops!" Rainbow shrieked.

Silence fell, punctuated only by the sound of Rainbow Dash's labored breathing.

"You're becoming just like her you know." Fluttershy murmured after a moment.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes, but confusion reigned on her face. "Who?"

"Gilda." Fluttershy whispered.

"…Ridiculous." Rainbow snorted.

"So concerned with being cool, pushing everypony away…"

"Enough Fluttershy." But for once Fluttershy pushed on ahead.

"…being angry all the time, letting your pride get the best of you…"

"Knock it off!" Rainbow shouted at her, covering her ears with her hoofs. "Stoppit! I-I'm not Gilda! I don't WANT to be Gilda!"  
>Fluttershy regarded her evenly. "Why not?"<p>

"Because she's—she's…" Rainbow's wings trembled.

"She's what?"

"…She's all alone. I HATE being alone." Rainbow admitted, looking down.

"Then what do you want to be?" Fluttershy asked as she drew up alongside her, rubbing her hoof on Rainbow Dash's back.

"I want—I want—" Rainbow closed her eyes. An angry looked passed over her face. Her hooves trembled.

"You want to hurt them the way they hurt you." Fluttershy whispered understandingly, pushing her head underneath Rainbow's. "You want to punish them so you can forgive them, but you want them to say they're sorry first."

"Y-yeah…How did you know?"

"Rainbow Dash, all ponies get upset sometimes, even me. I think that it's such an awful feeling. But I think you're afraid that if you let go of your anger nopony will understand how much they hurt you and will do it again."

Rainbow nodded numbly. "T-that's it. Fluttershy, do you know how liberating it is to tell somepony no? Um, wait never mind. It's…it's like going from having to do whatever somepony wants from you or expects from you and be able to just say, no. It's like I'm my own pony again! I don't have to be who they want me to be, but who I want to be. It's like I took something back from them!"

"But Rainbow, what you took back was your loyalty." Fluttershy said quietly. "And that was always your best quality. Even more than your awesomeness or coolness."

That hit Rainbow hard. "…I…" She croaked, her throat constricting.

"Rainbow Dash I'm not telling you that you should be loyal to everypony. I'm not even sure if that's possible. But you're being loyal to yourself when you're being loyal to others." Fluttershy looked her in the eye. "Rainbow, you're so brave! You stood up to Gilda and to Trixie too. You faced a manticore and a dragon, to a herd of buffalo, diamond dogs, Nightmare Moon and Discord! Are you telling me that a bunch of ponies being silly are scarier than all that?"

"Well, no but…"

"But nothing miss!" Fluttershy said firmly, poking her muzzle close to Rainbow's face and stomping her hoof. "You're always telling me to be more assertive and stand up for myself! How can you ask me to do it when you can't? Ponies depend on you to be strong Rainbow Dash! So many ponies look up to you because you're strong and fast and brave. Seeing you be strong helps them to be strong. I-I know it has for me."

"I—I—" Rainbow's jaw was moving but no sound came out. A rather remarkable role reversal for the two pegasi. "Really?" She asked with a faint stirring of hope.

Fluttershy nodded firmly. "Trixie could hit you with a thousand lightning bolts and that would never change. Then apologetic look crossed her face. "Oh, sorry about that. I just got carried away. Anyway, if the Rainbow Dash I know can handle all monsters and wild creatures, she can definitely handle a few neighsayers. You're always assertive and self-confident Rainbow Dash. Now I'm asking you to be _truly_ confident."

Rainbow closed her bloodshot eyes. "…they laughed." She said quietly.

"I know they did." Fluttershy nuzzled her. "And it wasn't right. But I don't think that means that they were all laughing at _you_, Rainbow Dash."

"Huh?" The rainbow pegasus looked confused.

"Um, well remember that time Ditzy Doo flew into that wedding cake at Sugarcube Corner?" Rainbow's chuckle indicated that she did. "Are you laughing at Ditzy? I thought she was your friend." Fluttershy pointed out.

"She is!" Rainbow protested vigorously. "I would never laugh at her like the jerks that make fun of her eyes! I mean, yeah she annoys me sometimes when she does something derpy, but I wouldn't laugh at _her_. I laughed because…." Dash's eyes widened as it sunk it. "…I laughed because the situation was silly, not the pony it was happening to. I wasn't laughing at Ditzy."

Fluttershy nodded eagerly. "I think that's what happened with Trixie. I don't think most of the ponies knew that they were hurting you. They think you're so tough that they didn't they laughing at her trick wouldn't hurt you. I don't think they even meant to laugh. The ones who are still laughing, well then they're just being…dumb meanies!" She spat in a rare moment of anger. "Nopony's allowed to make my friends feel bad. Especially themselves. And if anypony still wants to laugh at you…then I'll protect you." Fluttershy promised. "Just like you did for me."

Rainbow cracked a smile. "Yeah, I bet you would." She hugged her close. "Thanks Fluttershy." She sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…after everything I don't know how I should feel about me. Am I cool? And who should I listen to? Maybe everypony was right to laugh. I AM a joke."

"Don't say that! You are not!"

"But I am Fluttershy! I tell everypony I'm so cool and amazing…but if I were would I be pushing clouds around? The Wonderbolts still barely know I exist. They'd never let somepony like me join. I'm just a fatheaded dope. Maybe everypony was laughing because they thought it was time somepony put me in my place."

"No Rainbow. There's no problem that ever calls for humiliating somepony. *_Ever._*" Fluttershy nuzzled her. "Besides, I just told you and I don't think that's why they laughed. And if it is, well, then you still shouldn't listen to a bunch of silly fillies. Even if that silly filly is you."

"So, who should I listen to? Should I listen to other ponies when they tell me I'm cool?" Fluttershy nodded. "But I shouldn't listen to them when they laugh at me or tell me I'm lame?"

"Um…"

"So I should listen to myself instead of other ponies?" Rainbow scratched her head in honest confusion.

"Yes! I mean no! I mean, oooh I don't know what I mean!" Fluttershy wailed, covering her head. "Y-you should listen to ponies that matter most to you! Not that they can't be wrong, but that…you shouldn't listen to…but sometimes they can be…"

Rainbow Dash threw her hooves up in the air and fell backwards onto her bed. "Graah! Then who should I listen to?"

"Your friends?" Fluttershy suggested. Rainbow lifted her head off the bed.

"But, I don't know if I can trust your opinions_because_ you're my friends! I mean, if I'm trying a new trick and I want your opinion, would you tell me the truth or would you try to make me feel better?"

"Um, both?"

Rainbow sat back up and facehooved. "So how do I know if I'm cool? If other ponies say I am or if I believe I am? This is so confusing! And even if I am cool, how can I know if I get snickers and laughs when I go back into town?" She got up and started flying around the room. "I need to do something to restore my reputation! _And_ I'm *_still*_ mad but I don't know what to do about it!"

Fluttershy gently hovered in Rainbow's path. "Rainbow Dash you've been working yourself too hard and you clearly haven't been taking care of yourself. How about if you get some sleep? I'm sure things will look better after a good night's rest. Then you and I and all our friends will help think of something to fix everything. I promise."

Rainbow gave a weak little smile and yawned loudly. "That sounds like the most awesome idea I've ever heard." She said as lowered herself to the floor. "Thanks Fluttershy."

The cream pegasus smiled. "Anytime."

With a smile that approached beatific, Rainbow slowly approached her beloved cloud bed. "Bed…" She said as she swayed tiredly on her hooves, her voice thick with the warmth that one typically reserved for a loved one. "Did you miss me? I missed youuuuu…." With that, Rainbow Dash fell onto her bed, asleep before her head hit cloud.

Fluttershy giggled, gently brushing Dash's mane out of her face. Then she paused as an idea struck her. She gently squeezed into bed next to her. It'd been a while since she'd slept in a cloud bed. She pulled up a cover of cloud to use as a blanket over her and Rainbow Dash. "Goodnight Rainbow Dash." She whispered softly. Then she planted a gentle kiss on the back of Rainbow's ear. "Hush now, quiet now it's time to rest your sleepy head…Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed…"


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Rainbow Dash's friends gathered together in Twilight's room. Fluttershy left Rainbow Dash to sleep some more as she let herself out. Twilight had said that it would be a good idea to trade notes Pinkie Pie had brought some of Blues' and Lyra's sheet music. Twilight facehooved.

After that bit of confusion, the five friends relayed their encounters and discussions with Rainbow Dash to one another. Twilight listened to each one intently, occasionally nodding or frowning as if in deep thought. By the time Fluttershy finally finished her story Twilight got up and looked out the window.

"What's on your mind darling?" Rarity asked.

"Pride." Twilight answered; then repeated herself. "Pride, embarrassment, self-esteem, and loyalty. Everything that Rainbow Dash is thinking about."

"That's a whole lotta thinking there." Applejack said with a nod of her head. "You thinking you know what's going on in that hard head of hers?"

"I don't know…but from everypony's been saying I have noticed a pattern in Rainbow Dash's behavior that I think might be at the root of her problems."

"What do you mean?" Applejack asked. "Her problem is Trixie giving her a zap in the patootie in front of the town and then Princess Luna doing it again."

Twilight shook her head. "That's just the catalyst. I don't think that's the underlying problem."

Applejack muttered something about fancypants ponies and their fondness for fancy words. Louder she asked, "All right so what're you getting' at Twi?"

"Remember what Dinky told us? How Rainbow Dash stressed how important it was to have friends and how lucky she was to live in a full house with her mother and Carrot Top?"

"Yeah, I recollect that jest fine. Nothin' wrong with mah memory Twilight."

"Applejack have you ever felt down or upset?"

"Course ah have. Every pony does sometime or another."

Twilight pressed on. "Well, what do you do when you are feeling upset?"

"Shoot, ah guess the first thing I'd do would be to throw myself into mah chores. That usually perks me right up. O'course ifn that don't work, then I suppose I talk with Big Macintosh or Granny Smith…or spend time with Apple Bloom and that usually makes me feel better. Why?"

Twilight was grinning in triumph as she whirled on Rarity. "Rarity! What do you do when you're upset?"

"Hmph! Well a true lady would never let herself—"

"Rarity…." Twilight ground out.

She blinked and laughed nervously. "Ah haha, I suppose I like to throw myself into my work as well but if I'm just not in the zone as it were, I'd have to say that having a tea party with Sweetie Belle always improves my spirits."

"Fluttershy!" Twilight whirled again. The yellow pegasus cringed. "What do you do?"

"Um, I suppose I like to go for walks with my animal friends and Angel Bunny…"

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight pointed her hoof, her voice growing louder as if in triumph.

"Ooooh! I like to throw a—"

"Besides, throwing a party? Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Oh. Well, if I'm feeling just a tiniest bit less bouncy and party-tastic Mrs. Cake makes me some cupcakes! That always cheers me up cuz I'm not taking them from the inventory or anything; they're made special just for me!"

"And what do I do when I'm feeling upset?" Twilight said, her voice ringing loud and clear…then felt awkward when she realized she was effectively talking to herself. "Oh, right."

Spike poked his head up the stairs from the Library. "Before or after you enchant your doll?"

"Spike!" Twilight made a face at him.

Her draconic assistant took no notice as he started ticking points off his claws, "Let's see…usually you grab your daily checklist to see what went wrong and then panic when you realize that being upset will cut into your schedule even more and that just makes you MORE upset…"

"Thank you Spike." Twilight said flatly.

"Then you usually take every book off the shelf trying to find that one book that you think will have the answer for you, not realizing it was right under your nose the whole time…" Spike went on. Twilight colored as her friends tried not to giggle.

"Spiiiike." She warned, but the little dragon was on a roll.

"Then you usually throw up your hooves and wail that you've failed your parents, Princess Celestia, and Equestria and have a slight nervous breakdown until I make you a daisy sandwich and Princess Celestia writes you a letter to tell you that she is not going to banish you, jail you, or otherwise punish you for imaginary infractions or failings. That sound about right?"

His answer was a pillow to the face.

Twilight cleared her throat and tried to get back on topic. "Ahem. Yes, well my point is that when we're feeling upset, something we think we can't talk about with our friends, all of us have somepony to turn to. Applejack, you have your family which is a pretty big source of support! Rarity you have your little sister and your family and Fluttershy has her animal friends and Pinkie Pie has the Cakes. And I turn to Princess Celestia whenever I feel like I need help or someone to talk to."

"Ahem?" A little purple dragon cleared his throat meaningfully as he placed Twilight's pillow back on her bed.

"Oh yes, and you too Spike." Twilight smiled. "But who does Rainbow Dash have? Unlike the rest of us, she lives alone."

"But she has us." Applejack pointed out. "She can talk to us anytime she wants."

Twilight looked at her. "Applejack, you're a very rare kind of pony; the kind who's the same inside your home as you are outside it. But for other ponies, being home is where you can let down all the guards and shields you put up when you deal with other ponies. It's where you can really be yourself with the ponies you love the most. But imagine if you didn't have that. If you didn't have family or close friends and lived by yourself."

The lavender unicorn closed her eyes. "Home is where you can admit the doubts and fears and frustrations that you never want anypony else to know you have. And the ponies you live with—they're the ones who encourage you, remind you of your strengths and make you feel better about yourself. But if Rainbow Dash doesn't have anypony to do that for her…what do you think she does?

"When you have family and friends who support you, who remind you of your strengths and values, it encourages you. It gives you the confidence and support you need to face the world and any obstacles. But when Rainbow goes home, there's no one there to give her any support, to listen to her unburden herself. The only one there to remind Rainbow Dash how great she is… is Rainbow Dash. But she cares a lot about what other ponies think. She likes to brag and show off, but even she's caught off guard when somepony else praises her out of the blue, like Rarity did in front of Princess Celestia at the Best Young Fliers Competition.

"I think maybe that's why Rainbow Dash likes to brag and show off so much. She's trying to convince others how good she is as a way to seek validation from them. How other ponies see her is very important to how she sees herself."

Applejack rubbed her head with both front hooves. "Mah head hurts. Twilight, yer making it sound like Rainbow's just a scared lil filly on her first day of school. This is a pony we've seen fly headfirst at Nightmare Moon, tangle with a manticore without hesitation, offered to try take on a whole herd of buffalo to save Pinkie, and a pack of Diamond Dogs to save Rarity, try to duke it out with Discord and _buck.__A.__dragon.__In.__the.__face_!" She emphasized, stamping her hoof for emphasis. "Rainbow might have every color on her dang-fool head but last ah checked, she ain't got no yellow stripe down her back."

Fluttershy fidgeted. "Well, um I think Applejack's right but…" She cowered slightly as everypony turned to look at her but took a deep breath. "But remember before the Best Young Fliers Competition? The poor dear was so scared and upset. Before you came to Cloudsdale some bullies were calling her names and trying to make her feel just awful. She didn't say anything when they were there but after they left she was afraid that everypony would see her fail and that would be end of her hopes for joining the Wonderbolts, everypony's respect for her would be gone, and Princess Celestia would probably banish her to the Everfree Forest!"

"But that's ridiculous!" The four ponies turned to look at Twilight who couldn't help the outburst. Met with four identical sets of raised eyebrows and incredulous looks, Twilight gave a weak grin. "A heh, yeah…that's as ridiculous as…being sent back to magic kindergarten" She admitted sheepishly.

"That's what I mean though." Fluttershy pointed out. "Rainbow Dash was so afraid of failing that she imagined the worst things she could think of, even if they were silly. Oh not that I'm calling you silly Twilight—" The lavender unicorn waved her hoof.

"No, no. You're right. I was." She frowned in thought. "But that's what I'm talking about. All of us have ponies—or dragons—" she glanced at Spike "who we turn to when we want an opinion of us we can trust. But Rainbow…she doesn't seem to know how to filter out the neighsayers and just listen to the ponies whose opinions she should rely on the most. So she tries so hard to be cool and to be praised by everypony she knows…and there's no such thing as universal popularity."

Fluttershy nodded. "But where Twilight was afraid of disappointing Princess Celesia, Rainbow Dash is afraid of letting ANYpony see her fail. I-I think Rainbow's very brave when she's standing up to creatures or bullies for her friends, but it's still very hard to stand up for yourself. I should know. I-I mean, Rainbow's been telling herself how awesome and cool she is for as long as I've known her. But m-maybe she stopped believing it herself? And that's why she wants other ponies to tell her how amazing she is?"

"…danged if that don't make some kinda sense." Applejack nodded. "Rainbow was nervous as a cow getting milked by doctor claw when the two of us started competing in the Iron Pony contest. And by the time all them other ponies showed up she was ready to use her wings to cheat instead of losing in front of all them folks. Same thing for the Running of the Leaves." She paused. "Heh. Now I'm wondering if the reason cousin Braeburn talks so much is because he spent all that time out trying to get Appleloosa started on his lonesome that he didn't have nopony else to talk to but himself. Now it takes a bushel of apples and a hoof in his mouth to git him to shut up."

"Or like how Big Macintosh keeps quiet since he can't ever get a word in edgewise between you and Apple Bloom and Granny Smith?" giggled Pinkie Pie. Rarity and Twilight covered their mouths with their hooves and tried not to chuckle at the indignant expression on Applejack's face, failing miserably.

"So, what's yer idea?" Applejack asked with a roll of her eyes.

Twilight grinned and turned back to Spike. "Spike! Take a letter…"

Meanwhile Rainbow Dash, looking much more refreshed after a good night's sleep, was resting on a cloud floating lazily above Sweet Apple Acres. Since she had abruptly quit the Weather Patrol the remaining pegasi were stretched to the limits to keep the skies clear and maintain the scheduled weather. Seems like they decided they could let a couple of stray clouds remain, being shorthooved and all.

She had received a letter from the Mayor when she stopped showing up to work. When Rainbow had sent in her resignation, she had gotten another one, cajoling her for the good of the town to come back to work. Rainbow didn't bother responding. Two more letters, each more beseeching than the last, had followed.

Good of the town…whose good? Rainbow mused idly. Cloud Kicker and Raindrops could handle the important stuff. Maybe not as quickly or as awesomely as she could but that was to be expected. Was that the only reason ponies in town liked her? Because she kept their days sunny and the plants watered?

Rainbow groaned and rolled over on her back, staring up at the expanse of blue. She tried to stop thinking about it, but she just couldn't help it. Right now if Princess Celestia appeared and would grant her any single wish, she would ask for the ability to know what other ponies really thought about her. Or, perhaps she should wish for the ability to not care what other ponies thought about her? She covered her face as she felt a headache start to brew up. This is why she hated those 'deep' philosophical, rhetorical questions Twilight was so fond of.

"Confounded ponies." She muttered. "They drive me to—"

"Rainbow Dash!" Turning over, she saw her friends gathered on the ground below her. Rainbow stood and hopped off the cloud, gliding down in front of them.

"Hey guys. What's up?"

Twilight stepped forward. "Rainbow, we've been talking and—" Rainbow held up a hoof.

"Sorry Twilight, but there's something I gotta say first." She looked around. "This…really isn't easy to say. I know you've all spent time that you could've been doing other stuff to talk to me and well, I want to say that I appreciate it. I—I really don't have much to say. I feel like I've been all talked out. But…thank you. For everything. I'm sorry that I've been shutting you out and stuff. And…I guess that's it." Rainbow looked down.

"Aww sugarcube, ya know we would never leave you hanging anymore than you'd leave us." Applejack smiled.

"You're our bestest most superific friend Dashie!" Pinkie Pie beamed. "If you're not happy, we're not happy!"

"We would never turn our backs on you, dear." Rarity nodded.

"We'll always be there for you Rainbow Dash. Always." Fluttershy promised.

Twilight smiled. "I couldn't have said it any better. Rainbow I know you've been trying to work through your problems on your own, but we wanted to do _something_ so I wrote the Princess—no, I didn't tell her anything about that!" she added when Rainbow started to glare. "And well, here." Twilight floated a ticket over to Rainbow Dash. "This is a chariot ticket for a trip to Canterlot."

"Well, uh, thanks Twilight by why would I need a chariot when I can fly?" She flapped her wings demonstratively.

"Because you probably would want to rest your wings for when you try out for the Wonderbolts tomorrow." Twilight beamed as Rainbow's jaw dropped. "I asked the Princess if she could arrange for a private session for just you and the Wonderbolts for you to show them your stuff. No big crowds to get you nervous like in Cloudsdale or to distract them like at the Grand Galloping Gala."

"Y-you asked the Princess to let me try out for the Wonderbolts? Just for me?" Rainbow's wings flared and her jaw trembled.

"Well, yes." Twilight said modestly. "Turns out the Wonderbolts have a day or two off before they start their Equestria-wide tour this year. It was really quite lucky that they could squeeze in any time at all! But when I told the Princess how important this was to you, and to me, she…OOOF!" Twilight let out a surprised grunt as she was suddenly tackled to the ground by a blue blur.

"!" Rainbow Dash stood over Twilight, her eyes shimmering. "I-I don't believe it! This is the most amazingly awesome thing anypony's ever done for me!" In her unbridled state, Rainbow actually leaned down and _nuzzled_ Twilight's cheek in front of everypony. "I don't—I don't know what to say!"

"That hasn't seemed to stop you so far." Twilight joked as she rubbed her cheek in disbelief. "Um, you're welcome Rainbow but if you wouldn't mind…"

"Oh! Uh, right! Sorry!" Rainbow Dash hopped off and helped Twilight back to her hooves. "I guess I got carried away."

Twilight smiled. "It's okay. Just go and do you best and know that the five of us will be rooting for you, if you want us there."

"Y-you guys are incredible! You're the best friends a pony could ever ask for." Rainbow sniffed, quickly rubbing a hoof across her face. "You bet your flank I want you all there!"

"We'll all be there to cheer for you. Woohoo." Fluttershy cheered softly. Pinkie laughed and blew into a party favor.

As Rainbow gleefully rocketed off into the sky and started turning summersaults in sheer glee, Applejack quietly made her way up to Twilight. "Um sugarcube, I'm glad to see Rainbow so pleased and all, but isn't this what you said was the problem? Rainbow caring too much about what other ponies felt about her? Howzit any better if she worries about what some fancy-shmancy Wonderbolts think of her instead of regular ol' folks right here in Ponyville?"

Twilight turned to regard her. "Applejack, this isn't something we can fix in a day or two. It takes a long time and a lot of support to make her realize that she doesn't have to take every pony's opinion of her to heart." She responded. "Right now, I think it would be good for her to get a fresh perspective and some positive reinforcement from ponies who she knows she can trust to give an unbiased view of her skills without worrying that they're trying to protect her feelings or purposefully try to make her feel bad. That way, Rainbow can come back to Ponyville with her confidence and self-esteem back. Then she can get into her old routine and through experience learn when to listen to what other ponies say about her or not."

"Ah guess I see what yer getting at." Applejack watched Dash weave a rainbow contrail through the sky. "This shore was a nice thing ya did for her. Made her real happy."

Twilight shook her head. "I only set some things up, made some arrangements. In the end, the only pony that can really help Rainbow Dash be happy…" the two watched Rainbow Dash zoom up, until she was silhouetted against the sun. "…is Rainbow Dash."


	8. Chapter 8

It was around mid-morning when six ponies (plus one dragon) found themselves climbing aboard Twilight's purple balloon.

"I still don't see why you couldn't have just asked the Princess to send a chariot or two straight to Ponyville instead of making us go all the way to Cloudsdale to catch our rides from there." Rarity commented, wincing at being cramped in with five other ponies in the balloon's basket.

Twilight looked at Rarity apologetically, Spike riding on her back as they set under way. "I'm sorry Rarity but we just put this together at the last minute. I didn't want to trouble the Princess or her guards by sending them all the way to Ponyville. Besides, Cloudsdale is pretty close by and it has one of the biggest chariotports in all of Equestria."  
>Applejack, who made sure to stand in the middle of the crowd, nodded then looked as if she regretted it, turning a little green. Apparently the grounded earth pony didn't care much for being so high up. Still, her voice sounded solid when she said, "Ah promised Apple Bloom I'd bring her back a souvenir from Cloudsdale. You should bring Sweetie Belle a little something too."<p>

Rarity harrumphed. "I'm not bringing my sister some tacky little gift from a tacky little souvenir store! I intend to bring her back nothing less than the best that Cloudsdale has to offer! Ooh and there's all the stores and fashions in Cloudsdale that I've never been able to see for myself before—"

"Maybe on the way back Rarity." Twilight cut in. "We'll only be stopping over in Cloudsdale for about an hour before our chariot leaves for Canterlot. That's just enough time to get some lunch and stretch our legs for a bit before we have to go."

"Lunch! Woohoo!" Pinkie whooped. "I can't wait to try out all the tasty treats they'll have at the commissary! Hm, isn't that just a fancy word for food court? Ooh! So THAT'S why the judge ponies always say 'order in the court!' They're talking about the FOOD court! Hm, I wonder what the judge of the food court is like…"

Rainbow Dash listened with only half an ear as her friends talked and bantered. She was too busy worrying about her performance for the Wonderbolts. She didn't so much have butterflies in her stomach as she had rampaging dragons battling Ursa Majors. Returning to Cloudsdale only aggravated the feeling. On one hoof this was the home she loved but on the hoof, was also the place where she first was called 'Rainbow Crash' and spent a lot of time being needled and teased, up until she dropped out of flight school. This left her with conflicted feelings of nostalgia, love and fear. Rainbow Dash *_hated*_ feeling conflicted. Why couldn't she simply love or hate a place and have that be that?

She barely noticed when they arrived at Cloudsdale and the balloon was tethered to the clouds for their return trip back. Without a word, a rare experience for those who knew Rainbow Dash, she led them from the balloon to the large chariot transit port where chariots constantly arrived and left Cloudsdale for places all over Equestria.

Never having seen anything like it before, the non-flight capable ponies trotted wide eyed to the giant cloud board that announced the incoming and outgoing chariot flights.

"Look at all these places!" Twilight gasped. "São Pony, Marebourne, Neighrobi, Singapony, Hay Chi Mare City, Bayjing, Coltcutta, Mare Aviv…You could go anywhere in Equestria from here!"

Applejack, while no great fan of flying, couldn't help but be impressed herself. "Whooee, this'd make getting the family together for reunions a hay of a lot easier!"

Fluttershy nodded. "Oh yes, ponies come from all over through here. I-I never liked the big crowds, but it is fascinating to see all the traveling ponies. They seem so nice."

Twilight nodded numbly as she looked up at the board. "If you could pick anyplace in Equestria to go where would you choose? I always wanted to see the libraries and the museums of Coltstantinople, or Istanbull as the natives call it."

Applejack thought for a moment. "Shoot, ah never figured much for traveling about after ah got back home from Manehattan…but if ah had to choose, I'd say Maredrid. They have wrasslin' matches with the local bulls and races with 'em too! Sounds like a heap of fun!"

Rarity sniffed daintily. "I for one always wanted to see the sights and sophistication of Trottingham."

"Oh, gee, um, I don't know. All these places sound very…nice." Fluttershy said, crouching down. Pinkie Pie, in contrast, was hopping in place, eager to share her thoughts. She sure was giving Twilight's cloud walking a spell a good work out.

"Ooooh! I always wanted to try Scandineighvian chocolate, so I'd go to Clopenhagen! Maybe Horseinski, but I think it'd be too cold. But the place I really really REALLY would like to visit would be Marescolt or Stalliongrad!"

"Stalliongrad? Good heavens, dear why?" Rarity asked in amazement.

"Duh! Because everypony says that those are the places where the party is biggest! And you know those Stalliongraders. If you don't join the party, they'll come and get ya!" Pinkie beamed excitedly. No pony quite knew how to respond to that, so they did their best to pretend that they never heard it.

Twilight turned around and noticed that Rainbow Dash hadn't rushed over to join them at the flight board. She stood alone, apparently staring off at nothing. Twilight trotted up to her. "You okay Rainbow?"

Rainbow shook her head as if clearing out the cobwebs. "S-sure. I guess." The twitching of her wings belied her words. Twilight gave her a stead look. Rainbow Dash sighed. "Or, ya know, maybe not."

"Nervous?" Twilight said sympathetically, phrasing it like a question despite it really not being one. "Well, I'll let you in on a little trick Pinkie Pie taught me for when I had to speak in front of crowds." Twilight raised her head up and looked around to make sure nopony was close enough to overhear. "The secret is…" she whispered lowly. "…just imagine everypony in the audience _naked_." Then she nodded solemnly, as if she had finished granting Rainbow the wisdom of the ages. "It's guaranteed to make you smile."

Rainbow Dash looked at her. "Um, Twilight, most ponies don't wear clothes at all. We're kinda always naked."

Twilight gave her an even look. "Why do you think Pinkie is always smiling and laughing?" She looked deadly serious. Too serious.

Rainbow sputtered and after a second's pause threw back her head and started laughing loudly, the tension in her gut completely destroyed. "Oh geeze Twi! Ha ha, thanks! I _really_ needed that!"

Twilight smiled as well. "You're welcome. I thought you could use something to take your mind off things."

"Heh, did you read about that in the _Egghead__'__s__Guide__to__Social__Interactions_?" Rainbow teased, only to grin even wider at Twilight's awkward shuffle indicating that she had.

"W-well…" Twilight blushed. Rainbow gave a gentle laugh as she nudged her with her wing.

"Heh. Twilight you are the queen of adorkable."

The lavender unicorn goggled. "The queen of what?"

"Nevermind." Rainbow smirked. Then she turned serious. "Twilight, thanks again for doing this for me."

"Of course Rainbow! You're my friend. You're _our_ friend. We'd do anything for you."

"…can you tell me the truth then?" Rainbow said quietly. "Do you think…do you think I have a shot here? I mean, I know the Wonderbolts are only giving me this chance because you asked Princess Celestia—"

"Rainbow Dash." Twilight raised her voice slightly, as if a teacher whose student had something particularly silly or frivolous. "Princess Celestia herself said that she knew you were the greatest Flier in Equestria. You performed not one, but TWO Sonic Rainbooms. You've been training hard all this past week and for years before that. If it weren't for you, the others and I wouldn't ever have our Cutie Marks!" Twilight smiled. "I think you're a pony that can do anything she set's her mind, and her heart, to." She grinned as a confident smile crossed Rainbow Dash's face.

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely. And you know what else I think?"

"Um, a lot of stuff?" Rainbow guessed.

"…kinda walked into that one." Twilight rolled her eyes. "I also think that one day you're going to be able to judge for yourself what you're truly capable of, without having to depend so much on everypony else's opinion of you." She paused and then added. "Of course, it MIGHT be good if you listened when one of your friends tries to tell you when you're being ridiculous or getting a swelled head." Rainbow looked away sheepishly. Any further discussion was cut off as an audible grumble came from Twilight's stomach. "Ah heh heh, perhaps we should get something to eat before our flight?"

"Sounds like a plan: your specialty." Rainbow grinned. She raised her voice. "C'mon guys, lunchtime! Last pony there has to pay for everypony's desert!" She took off in a gallop.

"Hey!" Twilight gasped as she was nearly flattened by the others running past her. "Wait for me!" But she was laughing as she ran after them.

The commissary at the chariotport was very spacious. There were several cafes and restaurants on a few floors that accommodated to a wide array of tastes. The girls, and Spike, were lucky enough to find a place around a nice circular table that had room enough for all of them. After they placed their orders they spent some time looking out the nearby windows at the magnificent view and talking about what they were going to do in Canterlot tomorrow.

Rainbow could hardly keep still. She was wriggling with excitement. She hadn't felt this good in weeks and after talking with Twilight, all her worrying and fretting had been—for now at least—regulated to the sidelines. For now she was chatting with friends, having some lunch and about to have the best day ever.

Life was good.

"Oh look! Hey there Rainbow Cr-uh, Dash."

Rainbow turned around. She gave a small frown at the sight of her three biggest past headaches: Hoops, Quarterback, and Dumb-Bell. Suddenly every bad feeling and memory she had of Cloudsdale came back at once, like her lunch after eating a Baked Bad.

"Hey guys." She kept her voice carefully neutral. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing much. Just getting lunch." Dumb-Bell said with a weak grin. Rainbow nodded. The commissary at the port was so big that a lot of the workers from the weather factories came there to eat too. And all three of them were wearing their white hardhats and white coats from the factory.

Hoops and the others used to bully her but after she won the Best Young Fliers Competition they had changed their tune. Didn't that prove that what she needed to do in Ponyville was to just go out and do something spectacular, like joining the Wonderbolts? Wouldn't that solve everything? But if she had failed at the competition those three would still be a burr under her saddle. What if she messed up in front of the Wonderbolts? What if the ponies back in Cloudsdale or Ponyville found it? What if-"

"Do you mind if we eat here?" Hoops asked, pointing at a smaller table next to the girls. Rainbow quickly gave her friends a glance. Apparently they remembered the trio. Twilight looked concerned. Applejack gave an angry snort and even Fluttershy's face looked hard.

"…it's cool with me." Rainbow said finally, half to the three colts and half to her friends, although she wasn't really sure if that was the truth.

"Sweet, thanks!" Hoops, Score and Dumb-Bell (who preferred to be called Billy, frankly Rainbow Dash couldn't blame him) went to their own table.

"So…did you three just come off your shift?" Rainbow asked, not really sure how to talk to her former fillyhood tormentors. She may have said she'd forgiven them after the competition, but forgiving was a long way from forgetting.

The three nodded then an awkward silence fell. "So, uh, what're you doing back in town Rainbow…Dash?" Billy said, taking his time saying her name lest he screw up and call her Rainbow Crash. He called her that more often than he had her actual name.

"Not much. Just stopping over." Rainbow kept it short. She didn't really want to talk about her day anymore. Somehow the tension that had been in her gut earlier had come back.

But she reckoned without Pinkie Pie. "Yeah! Dashie's going to Canterlot to try out for the Wonderbolts!" She squealed in excitement as she threw a hoof around Rainbow's neck and gave her a tight sideways hug.

"Dude, no way!" Hoops' eyes bulged though they were concealed by his long bangs. "That is wicked cool!"

"Y-yeah! We always knew you could do it!" Billy nodded so it looked like his head might fall off. Rainbow narrowed her eyes and gave a neutral expression and a shrug that accepted the compliment without really believing it.

_What__a__load__of__horseapples._ She thought to herself.

"You gonna do another Sonic Rainboom?" Hoops asked eagerly. Rainbow Dash shrugged her wings as she faked nonchalance.

"Eh, I dunno. The Wonderbolts have seen it already. I'm no one-trick pony. I've got a ton of cool tricks the likes of which no pegasi have ever seen!" She proclaimed immodestly.

"Whoa…" The three jocks said, their eyes and mouths wide. Rainbow smirked. They put her in the mind of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the difference being that the Crusaders were younger and smarter.

"So, you boys hungry?" Rainbow Dash switched tracks.

Hoops nodded. "Yeah! And I am as hungry as a horse!"

"We just got finished with a big lightning order." Billy added. "Supposed to be a doozy of a storm. I added them to the cloud vat myself."

Quarterback looked at him. "No you didn't, I added them to the vat!"

"No way dude!"

"Yes way!" Billy asserted. "I put in the lightning, you were supposed to put in the rain!"

"…Seriously?" Quarterback said, looking suddenly nervous.

"That's what I've been saying!"

"But I also put lightning in the vat…"

There was a sudden clamor as Rainbow slammed down her front hooves on the table. "You birdbrains put in twice as much lightning into the clouds as you were supposed to?" She shouted, her voice getting scratchy. "And you didn't even put in the rain?"

Quarterback and Billy crouched down. "Um, oops?"

"Oops? OOPS? I'LL give you both 'oops!' " Rainbow snapped her head to Hoops. "Where is that storm headed?"

"Um, I dunno, I-I'll check the schedule." He fumbled around with his hooves digging into his coat pockets. After what felt like an eternity he fished out a piece of paper. "Uh, here it is! Lets see: clear skies for Hoofington, rainy day for Seaddle, small shower for Ponyville…Lightning storm planned for Fillydelphia…uh-oh."

"Uh-oh." Rainbow repeated. "What's 'uh-oh' supposed to mean?" Hoops shrank down alongside his two compatriots.

"I might have gotten some of the orders for today mixed up." He gulped. "Y-you know how it goes? Too many orders, not enough pegasi, things get confused…"

"What. Did. You. Do?" Rainbow ground out between clenched teeth.

"I think I sent the small shower to Fillydelphia…and the lightning storm to Ponyville?" He said meekly.

There was a deadly moment of silence. Then it abruptly was shattered when Rainbow Dash exploded into a loud cacophony of such angry yelling and bellowing that pegasi all over the port stopped to watch and listen with horrified amazement. One grizzled old chariot-puller who'd been carrying cargo and passengers for over twenty years felt himself blushing at the fierceness and creativeness of the young mare's curses.

When her initial flush of anger had finally ended Rainbow collapsed back onto her rump, panting for lack of breath.

"R-rainbow?" Fluttershy poked her head out from underneath the lunch table, her face bright pink. Her friends weren't much better off. Rarity's hair had actually straightened from the sheer power of Rainbow's outburst, Pinkie Pie's eyes were wide as a scared doe's and Applejack's hat had flown off her head and onto a young filly whose mother had clapped her hooves over her ears. Spike found himself stuck headfirst in the cloudy wall and Twilight had a sudden image of Princess Luna being tutored in the Canterlot Royal Voice that she couldn't explain or get out of her head.

"W-what…" Twilight stammered. Rainbow zoomed up to her.

"Twilight! This is bad! Really bad!"

"…I think I got that impression…" the unicorn murmured, still in something of a daze.

"Snap out of it!" Rainbow rapped her lightly on her noggin. "Ponyville's expecting a light shower and they're gonna get a mega-storm with double lightning and no rain! The Weather Patrol ponies will be fried!" Now the tension in Rainbow Dash's stomach had invited its friends and neighbors and was partying like Pinkie Pie was in charge.

"Don't you pegasi deal with lightning all the time?" Applejack asked. Rainbow shook her head.

"Yeah, but not like this! These featherbrains put _twice_ as many bolts as there should be…and these weren't meant to be little autumn shower clouds either, but heavy duty thunder and lightning storm clouds! Pegasi can buck the lightning out of clouds but when there's THAT much?" She shook her head. "They'd be toast! And with so much lightning packed into the clouds, those things are gonna be super sensitive! Anything could set them off! Buildings, trees, anything tall or made of metal!"

"M-maybe the pegasi can just…blow them over to the Everfree Forest instead of Ponyville…" Rarity suggested hopefully.

Twilight shook her head. "That'd be just as bad! If what Rainbow Dash is saying is true—"

"It IS!" The cyan pegasus interjected.

"—then that much lightning could cause a fire in the Everfree! And in a forest that thick it could easily spread! Zecora lives there! And all the animals and monsters inside would try to get out and swarm into Ponyville—and anyplace near the Everfree Forest!"

Gasps of horror and disbelief rose as they contemplated a giant fire covering square miles of forest and a horde of charred, fearful, and angry manticores, chimeras, cockatrice, dragons, Ursas, Canus, Scorpios, sphinxes, dragons, wyverns, hydras, rocs, basilisks and other monsters all streaming into Ponyville.

"W-we need a plan!" Applejack blurted out. "Apple Bloom! Big Macintosh! Granny Smith! All of Ponyville! We need to save 'em!"

Twilight started pacing, swishing her head back and forth as she thought, her eyes clenched in though. "O-okay. We can't let the lightning in those storm clouds strike Ponyville or the Everfree. So…we need to get all the lightning out of the clouds before they arrive! But any pegasus that touches those clouds will be electrocuted! Ooooh, so how to get rid of the lightning?"

"By getting a pegasus who won't touch the clouds." All eyes drew to Rainbow Dash as she went on. "I'll fly past the clouds at high speed; close enough to set them off but not too close to get fried. There's no pony with my super speed, agility, and reflexes."

"Are you crazy?" Twilight blurted out, her eyes wide with shock. "Don't be ridiculous! You'll get yourself seriously hurt if you get hit by that much lightning! Maybe even…"

Rainbow gulped. She could fill in the blank. So could everypony else. "T-then I guess I'll just have to make sure that the lightning doesn't touch me! I'll zoom by those clouds so fast they won't even know I was there!"

"But—"

"Hey, c'mon now." Rainbow smiled at Twilight. "Weren't you just the pony telling me that I could do anything I set my mind to? And that one day I'd be able to judge for myself what I'm capable of? Well, that day may not be today, but I know I can do THIS." Twilight sniffled, suddenly more afraid than she'd ever been for another pony.

"Rainbow Miriam Dash, don't you even THINK about—" Applejack started.

"Sorry AJ, ladies, I gotta do this!" Rainbow zipped up into the air. "I told you when we first met Twi: I never leave Ponyville hanging. You guys take care." With that, she flew out of the commissary and within seconds was zooming away from Cloudsdale back to Ponyville. Home.


	9. Chapter 9

Early afternoon in Ponyville. Ponies were in the process of finish up whatever errands they had to do before their afternoon shower. Ditzy Doo was finishing up her Saturday mail route and since there was no school, her special helper was there with her.

"Lookit me, mama! I'm delivering the mail!" Dinky giggled as she clutched an envelope in her mouth. She ran up ahead on her tiny legs to the mailbox. She hopped up and down, but couldn't quite reach the mailbox.

Ditzy Doo flew over and gently rapped her hoof on the mailbox. "Open up Mr. Mailbox it's time for your breakfast!" Ditzy said as Dinky giggled. The mailbox lid fell open and Dinky stood on precariously on her hind hooves. She flailed her forelegs but she managed to spit the letter right into the mailbox. "Perfect!" Ditzy beamed as she closed up the mailbox. "That's my muffin!" She hugged her daughter fiercely.

Dinky giggled. "Yaay! I'm a mailmare just like you!"

Ditzy hugged her daughter even tighter. One of her eyes tilted upwards which was why she noticed the approaching thunderheads first. "Hmm, good thing that was the last stop Dinky, it looks like it's about to rain."

"Awwww…" Dinky pouted. Ditzy nuzzled her as she started to walk her home, one wing stretched out over the tiny unicorn in case it started raining before they got home.

A loud clap of thunder made Dinky squeal and sent her running to her mother's side. "It's okay, it's just some thunder…the storm must be moving fast if it's already that loud." Ditzy said as she turned around. She frowned, one eye idly rolling in another direction. The storm was still pretty far away. But that thunder sounded awfully loud for a small shower, and especially when you consider the distance…her eyes snapped into focus as a sudden lightning strike split the sky. The bolt of lightning was immense!

Her voice suddenly tight but carefully kept even, Ditzy called out. "Come on Dinky, I'll race you home! Winner gets their pick of muffin!" She picked up the pace, careful to keep Dinky under her wing, metaphorically and literally as she kept one eye on Dinky and another on the approaching storm.

As the thunderheads rolled in ponies all over town stopped and looked up. Those who were packing up their things in the market or were closing their shutters and windows now did so with an added sense of urgency.

Bon-Bon looked at Lyra as they finished a mid-afternoon lunch. "Whoa…I've never seen storm clouds like that: they're pitch black! And huge! Is that normal?"

"I-don't know. My horn's tingling." Lyra shuddered. "There's a lot of power in the air. I think we should get home."

"Sounds good." Bon-Bon said nervously.

A sudden terrifying BOOM of thunder sent ponies squealing.

"It's a horrible, horrible disaster!" Yelled Daisy.

"It's the end of the world!" Shrieked Lily.

"Everypony run!" Shouted Rose. The three of them zoomed into their home and slammed the door shut behind them. The fear was infectious. Berry Punch pulled her sister indoors as Colgate closed slammed the shutters shut. Aloe and Lotus quickly started closing the spa and the Cakes did the same for Sugarcube Corner. Cheerilee started shepherding little colts and fillies that she had been taking through town on a weekend outing back to their worried parents. Snips and Snails were staring at the clouds with slack-jawed awe (which aside from the awe is their general expression) while other fillies and colts started to sniffle and cry as their parents started soothing them and hurriedly prodding them home. Manes started to frizzle and pegasi felt their feather's bristle with all the electricity in the air, which only added to the general feeling of discomfort and fear.

Cloud Kicker, Raindrops and the other pegasi of Ponyville looked fearfully up at the approaching black clouds. The wind wasn't fierce and there wasn't any rain falling, but this storm looked all the more dangerous for it. They took the air determined to do whatever they could—only to quickly land when they saw a huge tree split in two by a bolt of lightning.

Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Granny Smith sat in her rocker. "There's a storm a brewin'" She said croakily to her grandson. "Where's yer sisters?"

Big Macintosh looked up. "Applejack's out of town with her friends Granny Smith, she'll be fine. Apple Boom's with her friends in the tree house."

Granny Smith leaned forward, "Well? What're ya waitin' fer? Go and git her you big galoot!" Big Macintosh nodded.

"Alright, get yourself down to the storm cellar Granny. Ah'll be back with Apple Bloom and her friends."

Nodding once, Granny watched Big Macintosh gallop out the door. She shivered and it had nothing to do with the cold. Old as she was, she could feel in her bones that this would be a bad one. "Bring mah granchillun back safely." She quietly prayed. "Bring 'em all home safe and sound."

Rainbow Dash soared. The ground below her dissolved into a blur of greens and browns as she zoomed by. Like looming black mountains, the lightning clouds approached Ponyville. The dark clouds lit up with bright flashes of light as lightning crackled between them.

She felt her mane frizzle. Rainbow felt a knot in her throat she could only half-swallow. It threatened to choke her. The clouds were massed close together, making them seem like one giant solid mass.

"Wings, don't fail me now." Rainbow Dash begged as she zoomed past one of the outermost clouds. She thought she was keeping a reasonable distance from it when it suddenly erupted with lightning. A giant lightning bolt as thick as a tree launched itself out of the cloud only narrowly missing her. In fact, it didn't entirely miss. Thin, smaller volts branched off the main bolt and were drawn to Rainbow. She yelped as she felt tiny pinprick shocks strike her side as she zoomed past. She winced, then immediately felt grateful she got off as lightly as she did.

Rainbow gasped as she realized that if that bolt had struck her there wouldn't have been anything left of her: she would've been incinerated! Oddly enough, some small corner of her mind marveled at the fact that she knew the meaning of the word incinerated. She didn't know she knew that.

She shook her head. "C'mon, head in the game. Head in the game." Only she knew this wasn't a game. The stakes were much higher and the price of failure much, *much* higher.

"You're going to die." Startled, Rainbow Dash fell several feet as she actually forgot to flap. The voice was so calm, so hard, so…familiar. It was her own.

She shuddered. Ignoring the rising panic in her gut, she flew by another cloud. Again, she felt herself struck all over her body by many of the smaller branching bolts of lightning, only to shiver as she felt the searing heat from the massive lightning issuing forth.

Rainbow panted. Turning her head she saw tiny black marks pockmarking her coat where the smaller bolts had zapped her. It stung fiercely but compared to what would happen if those big bolts had hit her…her whole body shuddered at the implications.

The two clouds she had set off started to whiten and break apart, having been emptied of their load. But the rest of the clouds still rumbled on towards Ponyville.

"Why are you doing this for them?" Some tiny corner of her mind screamed at her. "These ponies laughed at you! Humiliated you! All the ponies that really care about you are safe in Cloudsdale! Let somepony else take care of this mess! This isn't your problem! You didn't make this mess! Let those three losers get out here and risk their flanks! You don't want to die!"

And there it was. She didn't. But Ponyville was her responsibility. The weather was her responsibility. And she couldn't help but feel responsible. Especially when she remembered her own harsh words on the subject.

'They can clear their own weather. See how they like it when lightning starts crackling down around their heads! And hey, who knows? Maybe I'm just not COOL enough to save them from the next monster that comes skulking out of the Everfree!' Rainbow winced as she remembered her own anger, her own words. Her own callous attitude.

"I-I didn't mean it!" Rainbow Dash said back to herself. "I didn't…" She hugged herself. "I can fix this…I can fix everything…"

Lightning flashed through the window of the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse followed almost immediately by the loud booming of thunder. Three scared fillies squealed in terror and tried to hide under blankets, tables or whatever else they could find.

"Make it stop!" Sweetie Belle wailed, tears running tracts down her cheeks. Apple Bloom, who was shivering under a nearby blanket, crawled over and hugged her friend, wrapping the blanket around both of them.

"T-there there, Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom stammered, trying to sound braver than she felt. "Ah'm sure somepony will be by soon…why, ah expect Big Macintosh will be by any minute now!"

Scootaloo slowly poked her head out the window. "W-whoa…." She stammered in equal measures of awestruck and terrified.

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle hissed. "Get down!" Apple Bloom bit down on Scootaloo's tail and dragged her back under the blanket with the others."

"Are you nuts?" Apple Bloom shouted at her. "Keep down!" Another sudden flash and boom sent them all screaming and hiding under the blanket. Apple Bloom sniffled. "A-ah want Applejack and Big Macintosh!"

Sweetie Belle nuzzled Apple Bloom as she began to hum softly, though her own breathing was a little ragged. Scootaloo unfurled her own tiny wings and tried to lay one over Apple Bloom.

Big Macintosh was running through the orchard when a thunderous lightning strike destroyed an apple tree just ahead of him. He whinnied and hit the ground as dirt and bits of charred wood fell around him. Covering his head with his hooves he waited until he stopped hearing the sound of things clattering to the ground. Slowly he raised his hooves away and climbed back to his feet.

He looked up. His eyes narrowed. Against the backdrop of black clouds there was a dash of blue, zooming and zipping around; darting around lightning bolts. Just one small blue speck, holding the line against the black.

Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily, a fine sheen of sweat coating her body. She didn't know how long she had been at it. A few minutes or an hour—time had started to blur together. No matter how many clouds she triggered into setting off, there always seemed to be more and more left.

"Oh geeze, c'mon already!" She threw up her hooves in exasperating, then regretted it as her whole body ached from dozens of small sore spots where the smaller bolts had struck her. "There's gotta be a better way!" She thought about trying to perform a sonic rainboom, but realized that a big explosion plus large explosive lightning clouds would probably equal an even bigger explosion. And that would be bad.

Besides, after everything she'd done already she doubted she had the strength to pull it off anyway. Another boom of lightning seemed to explode right in her ear, deafening her. She clapped her hooves over her ears and groaned.

So far she had just picked off the outlying clouds on the periphery of the cloud mass. At this rate, even with her super speed, she wouldn't be finished clearing the clouds before Ponyville was demolished.

"Not good enough…just not good enough." She started rubbing her hooves through her mane, feeling frantic. "I can't do it! I can't—" She shook her head. "NO! No! I-I can do this! I just gotta think…c'mon think think think." She rapped her hoof on her own noggin, trying to jumpstart her mind the way one would smack an errant toaster to get it to work.

Try as she might, she couldn't find a solution. Perhaps she was trying too hard, or perhaps she was afraid that if she started thinking too much about what she was doing she would realize just how likely she was going to get herself killed and—oh crud she just thought it. She shook her head. "C'mon, I'm too cool to die." She murmured. "I don't get beaten by the weather, I rule the weather!" While her own bravado helped stave off the prospect of her own death, she couldn't think of any solution to her problem.

She tried thinking about what some other pony would do: Twilight would just grab a book, babble a bunch of egghead stuff and then solve everything with some awesome spell. Applejack would grit her teeth, snort and say that nothing was gonna beat her and then buck the hay out of it. Fluttershy would either charm or demand the storm leave or perhaps get her legions of animal friends (as Rainbow thought of them) to deal with the storm. Rarity would do…something classy, like maybe make a giant umbrella for the town? And Pinkie Pie would do something completely random and crazy that would somehow manage to save the town in spite of all logic. But what could she do? She wasn't her friends. She was…Rainbow Dash. Her eyes lit up as a crazy, awesome, wicked idea flashed through her mind. There was a problem in front of her and she was going to meet it the only way she knew how. Rainbow Dash style: Head on!

Don't over think, just do it. In her mind's eye the clouds with their killer lightning became just one more challenge on an obstacle course. She never let one beat her before and she wasn't about to let one beat her now when so much was ridding on her. "I've officially gone insane." Rainbow rubbed her head. "But insane is fine, I can work with insane. What the hay, you'd have to be *little* insane to fly THROUGH a lightning storm."

It was the only way. Instead of flying past the clouds on the edge, she was going to set off the main body of the storm clouds by flying through the storm. Of course, those clouds were awfully close together…

"This would be totally awesome if I wasn't probably gonna die." Rainbow sighed. "I just hope they all appreciate what I'm doing…" She shook her head. No, that wasn't right. Appreciation wasn't the point. She was doing this to save her home and the ponies that lived there. Whether they appreciated her or not wasn't the point. It was about her being herself. Being loyal. "E-even if they laughed at me…they deserve to have the chance to be happy." Cheerilee, Bon-Bon, Lyra, Carrot Top, Pokey Pierce, Seaswirl, Horte Cuisine, Caramel, Blues, Cloud Kicker, Raindrops, Sparkler, the Mayor, Berry Punch, June Bug, Aloe and Lotus, Lily, Daisy and Rose or even Sticks and Stones. "Here I go!" She charged ahead as if facing down another herd of buffalo.

Big Macintosh's hooves thundered across the ground as he galloped across the apple orchard. Out of the corners of his eyes he could see a number of charred holes from where lightning had a struck and more than a few trees were missing branches or had been completely destroyed by lightning. The storm stretched from the farm down to Ponyville proper and there seemed to be two or three flashes of lightning every half minute.

But the stubborn red stallion refused to turn back. Over the cracks of lightning and the booming thunder he could hear the startled cries and squeals of his little sister and her friends. "Apple Bloom!" He bellowed over the storm. "I'm a coming!"

The clubhouse was in sight. So far it had been spared from the storm's onslaught, but Big Macintosh knew that couldn't last forever. He stepped on the plank that led up to the tree house. It groaned in protest at his weight and he quickly stepped off. "Apple Bloom! You and yer friends haveta come out!"

A trio of frightened faces peered out the door. "B-Big Macintosh!" Apple Bloom's face lit up. She galloped down the plank and buried her face in her big brother's side. "You came!"

"Shore did." He smiled. "C'mon Miss Scootaloo, Miss Belle, we gotta go!"

"You heard 'im!" Apple Bloom shouted. "Let's go home!"

Sweetie Belle trembled. "B-but the lightning's out there!" She ducked down with a whimper when another flash lit up the sky, followed by a loud grumbling boom of thunder.

"The higher you are, the more likely the lightning will hit you!" Big Macintosh said in a hard mixture of a shout and a soothing tone. "Y'all will be safer here on the ground!"

"P-promise?" Sweetie Belle sniffled.

"Ah promise!" Big Mac nodded firmly. "You can always count on an Apple promise!" On shaky hooves, the little white unicorn took a tiny trembling step outside the clubhouse door, as if expecting the lightning to be waiting for her. When she didn't get zapped Sweetie Belle took another little step. Then another.

"Hurry up Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom encouraged. Sweetie Belle took a deep breathe, closed her eyes and with a yell started running helter skelter down the plank and didn't stop until she ran into Big Macintosh's legs. Rubbing her head she looked up and trembled.

"I—I made it?"

"You sure did!" Apple Bloom hugged her. She turned back to the clubhouse. "You're next Scootaloo!"

Scootaloo was about halfway down the plank when she looked up at the sky and smiled widely as she saw a rainbow contrail cutting through the sky.

"Look! It's Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cheered.

The rainbow trail zoomed straight into the black maw and was swallowed up whole. Then the sky glowed as lightning zapped from cloud to cloud. Then everything was silent. There was no sign of Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo's eyes welled up with tears. "R-rainbow Dash?"

A grim smile lit Rainbow Dash's face as she soared into the black mass. "Just like slaloming through Sweet Apple Acres," she said, albeit in more dimensions. The trick was to go fast enough to avoid the lightning after her wake set off the clouds but still be able to chart a course around the clouds without flying into one and being instantly fried. She made a snap turn to the left then had to dive down beneath another cloud and then tucked in her wings to slip through a narrow crevice between two more.

Lightning crackled all around her and she was half-deafened by the thunder. It was like being inside of the speakers at a Vinyl Scratch concert. She could feel the claps of thunder as much as she heard them. Her heart, her stomach and most of her organs seemed to vibrate within her.

"This…is….incredible!" She whooped. She was actually flying through a lightning storm! She had told Soarin' that flying past lightning was awesome but this was at least 20% more awesome than that!

She was scared but the rush of adrenaline she felt from facing the fear helped her drown it out. She could do it. She could actually DO it! Forgetting the gravity of the situation entirely, she twirled, doing a little loop de loop around a cloud and danced around the lightning as if they were no more dangerous than falling leaves.

Rainbow thought about all the things she'd already done and things just seemed to…click. She whirled around one cloud as if it were a manticore. Then she dove dangerously close to another cloud like she did the snoring dragon. It was wonderful. She just wished her friends could see her now. A loud clap of thunder from a cloud she was flying past startled her out of her reverie. She nearly lost control and had to work twice as hard to maintain herself. She could've sworn the rumbling thunder suddenly sounded like a deep chuckle.

Infuriated, Rainbow Dash started to scream, shouting angry defiance at the storm. "You think you're so tough? You're just a flash in the pan!" Another reference Rainbow Dash didn't even realize she knew. "I'll show you!"

Throwing herself forward, she started flying even faster than before setting off cloud after cloud. Sometimes she managed to avoid being shocked entirely. Other times she felt the pinpricks of branching bolts strike her, but she shrugged them off. After so many hits she was starting to feel numb to them. That was good…wasn't it?

She didn't dwell on it. That was just her way. She wasn't a deep thinker like Twilight and she had no real problem with pushing thoughts she weren't able or willing to deal with to the side in favor of immediate action to do whatever needed to be done. Action was her specialty.

With a loud shout and a whoop she tore her way through the storm, using every bit of speed and agility she had to draw close enough to set the clouds off and empty their loads before they could strike Ponyville, but already be on her way before the lightning hit her.

But at time went by her wings started to ache. Not a lot, but a little bit more and more. Her breath came a little bit more ragged and she seemed to slow down. Not by a lot, but just enough. Her legs, which she tried to keep tucked in so she could keep herself streamlined, started to dangle below her. It was just too hard to concentrate and her body was practically begging for a rest. Rainbow's eye fluttered as if wanting to close for a nap. Shaking her head, she managed to keep it open. But the harder she fought to keep her eyes wide open, the more fluttered they seemed to get.

Looking around, Rainbow Dash saw one last big bank of dark storm clouds looming ahead. Most of the storm clouds had either turned white and broken up or were now shaded a light gray and no danger to anypony. "Just one more…just one more…" She panted as she pushed herself forward. She mistimed her first flyby and was painfully reminded by a particularly sharp volt to the haunches. Yelping, she closed her eyes which were watering with pain. That one had been worse than the others. She could actually smell her own fur burning and hoped that's all it was.

Her flight growing increasingly staggered, Rainbow weaved between a pair of clouds, grimacing as she felt tiny bolts shock her from head to tail. She gave a pained grunt and flapped her wings. She had to flap harder than usual since a number of her feather's had been singed or completely burned away. It only got worse as she kept going. By the time she got to the final batch of clouds it took almost all of her concentration and strength just to stay up in the air.

Knowing her strength was ebbing, Rainbow decided she would do the whole group in one go and get it over with. She flew up and dived downwards, towards a gap between the three clouds…when she noticed the clouds starting to move together. Rainbow tucked her legs together and flapped her wings faster as the gap started to shrink. "Come on…" Rainbow dived faster, the wind whistling past her as she approached the ever increasingly small hole.

Her hoof passed through the opening just as the trio of clouds came together. She was halfway through the cloud when a bolt of lightning struck her. She felt a white hot heat that seemed to just coarse through her body. She screamed and then mercifully blacked out. The lightning, its force spent, loosed its hold on her. The last black clouds in the sky lightened and started to break apart, unmasking the sun and its rays which the storm had blotted out. The day grew warm and bright but she didn't see it.

Rainbow Dash fell.


	10. Chapter 10

At home Ditzy Doo and her daughter hugged each other tightly as they huddled together on the couch through the flashes of lightning and the booming thunder. Carrot Top rubbed Dinky's back from her place on the couch, with the little filly snuggled tightly between them.

"Make it stop!" Dinky cried her face wet with tears. "It's scary!"

"It's okay muffin, mama's here." Ditzy said soothingly. "We'll be okay, we'll all be okay." Carrot Top nodded.

"All storms end Dinky. We just have to be patient for a bit, okay?" She smiled at her friend's daughter as Dinky thought this over.

"I guess so." Dinky sighed at last.

Carrot Top smiled. "We just have to take our minds off the storm for a while and I know just what can do it!"

"Really? What are you gonna do Auntie Carrot?" Dinky's eyes widened.

With a wicked looking glint in her eyes, Carrot Top cooed. "Oh, it's not what I'm going to do…it's what the tickle monster is gonna do!" She gave an evil sounding laugh (nicely augmented by a well timed burst of lightning) as she grabbed Dinky and started tickling her belly.

"Noohoo!" Dinky squealed as she started giggling. "Not the tickle monster! Hee hee!"

Ditzy let her eyes wander as she watched Carrot Top tickle Dinky while her other eye looked out the window…she snapped both her eyes into focus when she saw a blue blur with a rainbow trail highlighted against the storm when the lightning flashed again.

She got up, getting her daughter and friend's attention.

"W-wait! Where're you going mama?" Dinky protested as she wiggled away from Carrot Top.

"Mama's got go help Auntie Rainbow make the storm go away." Ditzy answered quickly as she got to the door. "I'll be home soon."

Dinky's lip trembled. "But mama-! It's scary outside! Can't you stay here with me and Auntie Carrot? What if you get hurt?" She scampered up to Ditzy's side and hugged her back leg

Dizty Doo turned around and looked down. "I wish I could, but I need to make sure Auntie Rainbow doesn't get hurt. I'll be okay. I promise."

Dinky looked up, her eyes wide. "P-promise?"

"Extra Super-Double Muffin Promise!" Ditzy nodded solemnly as she picked up her daughter and hugged her. Dinky snuggled up close to her.

"…M'kay. I love you mama."

"I love you too muffin." Ditzy closed her eyes as she gently rocked her daughter. Carrot Top quietly trotted up and slowly let Ditzy put Dinky on Carrot Top's back. "I'll be back soon."

"Take care Ditzy." Carrot Top said quietly.

Nodding once, Ditzy flew out into the raging storm. She kept low to the ground, barely even reaching treetop height. Ditzy tried to look for Rainbow Dash again but was nearly blinded by a number of bright lightning flashes that seemed to go off almost at the same time.

Rubbing her eyes, Ditzy saw glowing moving lights in front of her. "Oooh, pretty." She cooed before blinking and shaking her head. "C'mon don't be a Derpy Hooves! We gotta find Rainbow Dash." She flew on ahead while she waited for the fireworks display in the sky to stop. By the time it finally did let up, she was over Sweet Apple Acres. Chancing a look up, she saw that most of the clouds in the sky were gone…and floating nearby was the reason why: "Rainbow Dash? What is that featherhead doing?" She grumbled as she started gaining altitude.

Before she could reach her friend, Rainbow dashed into the last patch of black clouds. Ditzy's eyes widened and snapped into focus out of shock. A second later there was a loud flash of lightning and a pained scream.

"Rainbow!" Ditzy yelled as she zoomed ahead with an added burst of speed. Her eyes might affect her depth perception and make precision flying difficult; she was still a fast Flier. It wasn't just any pegasi that competed in the Best Young Fliers Competition after all. The gray mailmare had just about reached the now dissolving clouds when she spied Rainbow Dash's limp form falling to the ground below. "Eeek! Hang on Rainbow Dash! I'm coming!"

On the ground Scootaloo had abandoned any pretense of coolness and started bawling her eyes out when she saw Rainbow Dash start to fall. "No! Rainbow Dash! RAINBOW DASH!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom attached themselves to either side of Scootaloo, sniffling and crying softly.

Big Macintosh turned his head this way and that as if looking for something to help. Bucking apples wasn't going to be the answer to this problem though. He sighed as he turned his head to the sky, spying a gray blur approaching the falling pegasus. "Is that a bird?" He wondered, drawing the attention of the three fillies skyward.

"Is that an airship?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"No! It's Derpy Hooves!" Apple Bloom bounced.

Scootaloo sniffed. "Rainbow Dash is doooomed!" She covered her face.

Tucking her wings flat against her body, Ditzy dived. The air whipped through her mane and tugged at her cheeks and lips. Her eyes watered. "C'mon…c'mon…" She grew closer and closer to Rainbow Dash.

Ditzy reached out a hoof and…"Gotcha!" She yelled as she wrapped a hoof around Rainbow and flared her wings open. Ditzy was used to carrying large packages, but Rainbow Dash's unconscious form was a bit more ungainly than a simple parcel. They descended, but at a slower rate.

"Look she caught her! She caught her!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hopped in place. Scootaloo stared in slack jawed amazement.

"No way…"

But Big Macintosh frowned. "They're still falling mighty fast. If only there was something to soften their landing…"

Apple Bloom felt an idea click in her head. "Wait! That's it! Cutie Mark Crusader Stunt Ponies!"

"…What now?" Big Mac blinked as the trio dashed into their clubhouse and after a frantic moment of searching and tossing things aside, came out with a small gray bundle. "Now what in tarnation is that l'il thing gonna do?"

"Watch!" Apple Bloom grinned as she grabbed a ripcord attached to the bundle in her teeth and yanked it out. Within seconds the bundle started to unfold and inflate into a giant cushion-looking device, like the type stunt ponies used to cushion leaps and falls.

Big Macintosh opened his mouth as if to ask why they had such a thing but wisely thought better of it. Instead he started tugging and pulling it with his teeth over to where Ditzy and Rainbow were going to land.

Ditzy never looked so relieved to see a landing zone as she did right then and there. Still holding Rainbow as firmly as she could, she made a hard landing right on the center of the stunt cushion. Flailing her legs before she could manage to right herself, Ditzy Doo dragged Rainbow off the airbag as Big Macintosh and the Crusaders arrived to help them down.

"Golly, that was sure somethin'!" Apple Bloom said eyes wide. "Are you okay Der—ah mean, Miss Doo?"

"The muffin train runs expressly." Ditzy muttered before shaking her head to clear the cobwebs. "I mean, yes I'm fine. But I think Rainbow Dash needs help—"

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo yelled as she zipped up to her hero. "Are you okay? Say something?"

The singed blue pegasus was still. Scootaloo bit her lip as tears started to well up again. Then a familiar accented cadence made itself known from behind them.

"Just in time it appears I've arrived, to ensure our brave pegasus survives."

"Zecora!" Apple Bloom smiled as the zebra stepped into view. She was wearing her saddlebags and they seemed full with vials and potions. "You're here! You're okay!"

"It is good to see you all well, as to what could have been I'd rather not dwell." She nodded to the fillies, Big Mac and Ditzy. "When I saw the raging lightning flash, I guessed somepony would need my help and that it would be Rainbow Dash."

"S-she got struck by lightning." Scootaloo trembled. "Can you help her? Is—is she going to—?"

"Be still little pony and do not fear, Rainbow Dash will certainly be staying here." Zecora fished around in her saddlebags. "This remedy is sure to aid those who have been hurt by the lightning's sharp blade." She tugged out a bottle and held it with her teeth.

Big Mac came over and relieved her of it. He examined it as he held it in his hooves. It was a thin bottle with a viscous purple liquid inside. Carefully he gave it a sniff as he tugged out the stopper, only to immediately regret it. "That's one powerful brew!" He gagged, wiping the air with his hoof. "Ah've smelled hogs on a hot summer day what smelled better than this."

"Strong it needs to be, to restart the heart of a pony." Zecora said as she indicated Rainbow Dash with her head. "Quickly now do not wait! One must not delay or it will be too late!"

"Scale of the dragon that bit ya Miss Dash." Big Mac said softly as he upended the vial and poured the potion into Rainbow's mouth. When she didn't swallow Zecora rubbed her throat. Big Mac leaned his giant head against Rainbow's chest and listened. He heard a faint pitter-pat. Mac put his oversized hoof on her chest and pressed down. Then again. Once, twice and then…

Rainbow's eyes shot open as she gave a shuddering gasp and a wheeze. "You did it! You did it!" The fillies danced around Ditzy Doo, then Zecora, then Big Macintosh.

Ditzy Doo zoomed over. "Rainbow Dash! How many feathers am I holding up?"

After coughing and moaning for a moment Rainbow looked up at her. "…That's your hoof Ditzy."

"You're okay! Kaloo kalay!" Ditzy reached down to grab her into a bone crushing hug only to draw back when Rainbow yelped at her touch.

"Ow ow ow!" She moaned. Ditzy backed up to give her some space. Scootaloo buried her head in Rainbow Dash's side and refused to budge, her whole body trembling. Rainbow, not really cognizant of what was going on, rubbed Scootaloo's back as Big Macintosh walked over and leaned down to give Rainbow a comforting nuzzle.

"S'okay Miss Dash, y'all are gonna be okay." He said his big voice soothing. Zecora and Ditzy Doo traded identical glances as Big Macintosh leaned over Rainbow Dash, both of them giving a faint little sigh and feeling oddly envious of the slightly electrocuted pegasus. "Ah'm gonna git mah cart and we'll pull you to town so you can get checked over. Okay?"

"Sounds…good." Rainbow gave a weak, raspy sounding snort. "I think I'm gonna take a nap…" She closed her eyes and drifted off.

Zecora watched her chest rise and fall and nodded once. "She will be fine, though just how boggles my mind. Foolishly brave or bravely foolish, how she's lived this long leaves me clueless."

"That's our Rainbow Dash." Ditzy said with pride mixed in with a little annoyance, now that the danger was past.

Big Macintosh nodded as he started to lumber off to get a hay cart from the barn to transport her back to town. "Eeyup."

When Rainbow Dash came to she was on her back, staring upwards at a clear blue sky, the sun just starting to dip down in the west. She felt herself laying on something soft. Turning her head, she saw that it was hay. When she turned her head back she saw three big-eyed fillies occupying her personal space.

"Rainbow Dash, you're awake!" Squealed Scootaloo. "This is so awesome!"

"Are you okay Miss Dash?" Sweetie Belle asked gently.

"Don't you worry none!" Apple Bloom said. "Why, we're your personal Cutie Mark Crusader Nurses! Yaay!"

Rainbow groaned and it had nothing to do with her injuries. Chuckling, Zecora gently pulled the over anxious fillies away from the patient. She was hitching a ride on the hay cart too. "How are you? Is there anything I can do?"

"Z-zecora?" Rainbow Dash said weakly. "W-where am I?"

"Heading back to Ponyville with friends by your side," She gestured to herself, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and to Ditzy Doo who waved as she flew overhead. "Thanks to Big Macintosh who is giving you a free hay ride."

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said from his place. "Howdy do Miss Dash?"

"Ugh, like I got struck by lightning?" Rainbow moaned as she felt all of her bruises and injuries, big and small, remind her that they were there.

"Sounds about right." Ditzy said as she looked down on the cart. "Honestly Rainbow and they call ME derpy! Don't ever DO that again!"

"Heh, you know me Ditzy…never leave Ponyville hanging." Rainbow closed her eyes and blew out a weak breath. "…Think you can take the squirts home?" She asked hopefully as she opened them again.

Ditzy grinned and shook her head. "No way. If it wasn't for them, we'd be a pair of pegasus pancakes. And if you think you're in trouble now, just wait until I get home and bring back Dinky. I think she's going to want to have a few words to say to you about flying into lightning storms…"

Rainbow groaned. "You don't fight fair."

"Calm now, be still. We are almost in Ponyville. You need to rest and regain your might. Otherwise it will be quiet a while before you regain flight." Zecora spoke up. "You are still very weak and your recovery may more than just a week."

"…Rhyming 'weak' with 'week' is lazy writing." Rainbow said woozily.

"If you think you can do a better job, feel free to try miss literary snob." Zecora replied airily, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth anyway.

When Big Macintosh rolled the cart into town ponies had already started stepping out of their homes and into the suddenly clear day. They talked and cheered as they checked their homes and businesses for any damage, gratefully finding very little. A few ponies noticed the odd procession of Ditzy Doo escorting Big Macintosh who was pulling a cart containing three fillies, the mysterious Zecora and an injured looking Rainbow Dash.

Ponies started whispering conversations, speculating on what had happened. Had Rainbow Dash injured herself doing some dangerous stunt? Was she out in the storm? Did Derpy Hooves crash into her? Ditzy winced at the nickname.

"Rainbow Dash!" Big Macintosh stopped the cart. Rainbow looked up to see a small stampede heading her way. Five ponies plus one dragon.

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity ran down the street of Ponyville towards the stopped cart. Rainbow Dash sat up and struggled to get her hooves, ignoring Zecora's encouragements to stay still.

"H-hey guys." Rainbow smiled weakly at her friends, knowing she looked terrible. They sniffled and fidgeted as if they were fighting back tears. Finally Pinkie could stand no more.

"Dashie!" The pink pony squealed as she went to tackle hug Rainbow Dash, the others hot on her hooves.

"Wait!" Rainbow held up her front hooves but it was too late.

The five girls tackled Rainbow Dash. There was a loud flash and a snap and six startled shrieks as all the static electricity in Rainbow's coat transferred to her friends, resulting in frizzy manes and tails and poofy coats.

Rainbow's face lit up as she looked at the expressions on their faces and their ridiculous appearance. She started to snicker and shook her head in bemusement when she noticed the townsponies staring at her. Rainbow turned her head and for the first time got a full stock of herself since the storm.

Her feathers were singed, a number were missing and the rest were in a general state of disarray. Her left wing was hanging awkwardly, probably dislocated. Her mane was singed and frazzled out in all directions. Rainbow's coat was pockmarked with blackened smudges where her fur was singed. They were especially clustered around her haunches, back legs, and rump. Spots of pink flesh poked through here and there where her fur was completely gone and her tail was a blackened abridgement of what it once was.

Rainbow Dash looked from herself to her friends and the watching crowd and back again. Then she closed her eyes and they started welling up with tears.

"Rainbow…" Twilight started to comfort her when the pegasus burst out with full fledged belly laughter, pointing at herself, her friends, the crowd and then back again. She couldn't even get any words out. She flopped back onto the hay-filled carriage and started rolling from side to side in helpless laughter.

"Boy, that Rainbow Dash sure can be random, can't she?" Pinkie Pie spoke up sagely. Everypony just *_looked*_ at her. "What?"


	11. Chapter 11

A little while later found Rainbow Dash ensconced in a hospital bed. The all-white room was boring as hay but at least they gave her extra blankets to cushion the bed with. When the nurses started cleaning her up a lot of her singed fur had fallen off, leaving the pegasus with a number of pink bald spots in some uncomfortable places. Fortunately the blanket covered most of them.

The door to her room was left open but she still heard somepony knock. Looking up she wasn't surprised to find her friends—after Rarity re-did their manes and coats—outside. "Hey guys." Rainbow gave a small wave. "Come on in."

"Feeling better?" Twilight asked as she, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy walked in. With them were Rainbow Dash's rescuers—Ditzy Doo, Big Macintosh, Zecora, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Ditzy's daughter, Dinky Doo. To say it got a bit crowded would be an understatement.

Rainbow shrugged her wings then winced, regretting it. The nurses had popped her dislocated wing back in its socket but it still hurt like a bucker. "Yeah, I guess I am. The docs gave me plenty of liquids and said I'm looking good. My heart's fine and brain's okay."

"That's debatable." Applejack drawled wryly.

"Ha ha." Rainbow didn't seem bothered. "At least they found something when they scanned my head. The only thing they'd find in yours would be apples."

"Oh, everypony was worried about you." Fluttershy shyly added, hoping to defuse an argument. "They saw that you had just been through a terrible ordeal…"

Twilight, Rarity and Applejack gave each other a quick look and a wince before none too subtlety shooting Rainbow Dash a glance for her reaction. Rainbow sighed at the thought of everypony speculating about her and her less than ideal appearance but decided to wax philosophical about it. "Heh, it's better than what they could've been talking about: crispy-fried pegasus crashes into town. Feeds family of manticores for a month. News at eleven. So, how's Ponyville? Everypony okay?"

Twilight smiled and gave Rainbow Dash a quick nuzzle. "They're fine. There was a little damage done to the apple orchard but nothing that can't be fixed. Seriously Rainbow, are you feeling okay?"

"Well, I'm feeling pretty sore." Rainbow shifted around. "And it'll take a while for everything to grow back." She ran a hoof through what was left of her mane and wagged her good wing, bereft of many feathers, for emphasis.

Rarity smiled. "Never fear darling. Between Zecora and myself we've managed to brainstorm a few ideas on how to get your feathers, your hair and your coat back to their simply marvelous state in no time at all! Why, if it works I can sell it to Aloe and Lotus. Rarity's Rejuvenating Luxury Lotion!" Her eyes lit up.

"AAAAAAND we can throw you a Rainbow Dash Saved the Town and Isn't All Spotchy and Bald Party!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down in place. "There can be cake and ice cream and streamers and—"

"Pinkie Pie, later." Twilight looked at her. She turned back to Rainbow Dash. "There are a few things we wanted to say before you get swamped with well wishers."

"Oh. Okay." Rainbow tried to get comfortable. "Um, go ahead?" She expected a lecture on the recklessness of flying through a storm or rushing on ahead or something. What she got instead was a surprise.

"I know we've all spoken to you a lot lately Rainbow Dash. Not because we like to lecture you or because you aren't smart, but because we're friends and because we care." Twilight put her hoof on Rainbow's leg. "I think we spent so much time trying to help you try to get over your embarrassment and trying stop you from doing something to hurt yourself, that we forgot to tell you that what you went through—unpleasant as it was—is something that all of us have had to deal with. And maybe you needed some perspective on that."

Rainbow looked up at Twilight, confusion clearly written on her face. "Ever since I was a little filly and I got my Cutie Mark and became Princess Celestia's personal student and protégé, I've always felt a lot of pressure. Not from Princess Celestia, but from myself and other ponies' expectations of me. When I started going to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns I felt like I always *had* to succeed because Princess Celestia took so much time to be my teacher, and that I'd letting her down if I ever failed. And other ponies who heard about how my exam went imagined I was this super talented, amazingly powerful unicorn from the first day I set foot in school."

"You kinda ARE Twilight." Rainbow pointed out with a grin. Twilight flushed.

"Well, aheh, not from the very start. The expectations the other teachers—and even students—set for me were so high that when I met them they would just make them higher until I failed and then they'd start talking and muttering about how I wasn't so talented and wondering what Princess Celestia saw in me." Twilight looked down. "And *I* would wonder what Princess Celestia saw in me…"

Rainbow's face softened. "Twi…"

"It's okay." Twilight said softly, shaking her head. "But it was a lot of pressure to be under for a filly. Maybe that's why I started getting so into my studies and avoided other students. I wanted to try so hard to show everpony why Princess Celestia chose me I had to do everything perfect so I wouldn't let her down a-and to make her proud of me." She sighed. "And, you, well, you pulled off a Sonic Rainboom when you were just a filly. And I'm guessing there was a lot of pressure to do it again or to live up to that greatness. Right?" Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Yeah…a lot of that stuff you talked about it…does kinda sound familiar. A bit."

"We've all got our luggage sugarcube." Applejack agreed. Twilight gave her a look.

"That's baggage."

"Same difference. You know how important it is to me that I be seen as the hardest-working pony you ever did see. Having to ask for help, well, that seemed like an admission of failure, like I was lettin' mah family down. It was plum humbling for me. But it didn't make me any less of who I am."

Rarity nodded. "Just as dear Applejack does, I too have a vested interest in being seen in a certain light. I care about being seen as the most fashionable pony, with my own high expectations to live up to. We all do, really. Coming up short now and again, while unpleasant, reminds us that we're only ponies. No pony is perfect."

"And, um, you were there when those bullies at Flight Camp teased me for being a weak flier…" Mewed Fluttershy. "H-having you there to stand up for me made everything so much better. I want to be there for you, just like you were for me."

Pinkie Pie chimed in. "I remember when that mean old Discord made it seem like everypony was laughing at me. It was horribleiffic! It made me stop liking laughter and not like my friends anymore…" She sniffed. "I'm sorry that some meanies do that sort of thing Dashie. But you're friends will never laugh at you, only with you! And any pony who will really laugh at somepony else's misfortune…" She made a face and blew a raspberry that lasted a good thirty seconds. Rainbow had to hold up her hooves and hide behind her wings to avoid getting a good soaking.

Rainbow shook her wings. "Uh, thanks Pinkie. I appreciate the thought, but to quote Spike: say it, don't spray it!"

"Rainbow Dash!" She turned just in time to be tackle hugged in bed by an orange blur. Unable to wait any longer, Scootaloo had burst into the room and buried her face in Rainbow's chest. "You're okay you're okay you're okay! You—are okay, aren't you?" She looked up, her eyes moist and sniffling slightly.

"Aww, squirt." Rainbow cracked a smile and felt like she could allow herself to have a mushy, uncool moment for her biggest fan. She hugged the filly and rested her snout in Scootaloo's mane. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Awwwww….." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom said in unison, their eyes wide.

Rainbow felt her face warm, but smiled widely. "I hear that I have you three to thank for that."

The two fillies looked down and scuffed their hooves modestly. "We just helped, really." Sweetie Belle squeaked modestly.

Apple Bloom nodded quickly. "Yeah! It was Der, er, Ditzy Doo who caught you and Zecora gave you a potion and it was Big Macintosh who brought you to town!"

"I know." She turned to her saviors. "And I owe them all big time." She nodded to Ditzy, Zecora and Big Mac. "But don't sell yourselves short." Rainbow smiled. "You three are *my* heroes."

Scootaloo looked up. "R-really?" Her voice cracked with sheer glee.

"Absolutely." Rainbow felt a small hoof tapping her arm. Turning her head, she saw a little gray unicorn filly with a muffin balanced on her back. "Hey Dinky!"

"Hi Auntie Rainbow!" Dinky chirped. "I made you a Get Better Muffin!"

"Thanks Dinky, I'm sure I'll be enjoying this before they make me eat hospital food." Rainbow mussed her mane. "You're a seriously cool little filly." She winked at her and then at Ditzy. "You must get it from your mom." Dinky and Ditzy wore matching red faces, Dinky beaming with pride as she hopped in place. "In fact," Rainbow went on. "I think the four of you deserve a special treat." She turned to Pinkie and winked.

"Oh you mean like an extra super duper special filly party at Sugarcube Corner?" The party pony hopped into place.

"You betcha! And when I'm outta here and back in the air, I can think of four fillies who are getting the coolest ride ever, courtesy of me!"

"Whoa!" Dinky and the Crusaders said in unison, their eyes wide.

"Yay!" Sweetie Belle grinned.

"Golly! I'll be able to fly!" Apple Bloom cheered.

"I'll be like mommy!" Dinky cheered as she ran over to hug her mother.

"That would be the coolest thing ever!" Scootaloo's eyes watered with sheer bliss.

Rainbow Dash soaked it up. Seeing them smile somehow made her aches and pains seem to fade. "Sure would…except for maybe a certain pegasus getting some one on one flying lessons." She winked at Scootaloo. "Think there's any pegasus fillies in town who would like that?" Scootaloo looked gobsmacked. She opened her mouth but no sounds came out. It was remarkably Fluttershy-like. "Uh, Scootaloo?" Rainbow tapped her head.

Scootaloo's eyes rolled upwards and she collapsed on Rainbow's chest. "So…awesome…" she murmured in her sleep.

"Uh, little help?" Rainbow said as her friends giggled.

Twilight's horn glowed as she gently levitated Scootaloo off the bed and onto her back. "That was very sweet of you Rainbow Dash." Twilight smiled warmly.

"Sweet?" Rainbow pretended to pull a face.

"I'm sorry. I meant that was really awesome and cool of you." Twilight gave an ironic grin as she rolled her eyes.

Rainbow chuckled. "Nah, it's okay. Sweet's fine too."

The unicorn hesitated. "About the Wonderbolts…they'll be on their tour by the time you get out of the hospital. If you want I can ask the Princess to—" Rainbow shook her head.

"You know what? Don't bother." She raised her head. "I want to join the Wonderbolts on my own terms. Not because a friend pulled some strings. Not that I don't appreciate it," She added quickly seeing Twilight's eyes widen. "But…I don't know. I feel like I gotta stick around Ponyville for a while. Take care of some stuff, you know? Work on the weather, train some more so that when I do audition I'll be even more amazing and awesome than I am now." Twilight smiled warmly.

"Well, I'm just glad that you're not planning on leaving us anytime soon." She gave Rainbow Dash a hug that soon had everypony joining in. It only stopped when Pinkie stepped on something that emitted a long loud beep that got the nurses running in. They left when they saw nothing was wrong but it did get everypony to back up a little.

Twilight cleared her throat, trying to get past the awkward moment. "Before I forget…Spike *may* have happened to mention what was bothering you for this last week or so…" she started slowly.

"Oh no…" Rainbow's face colored as she started drawing her covers up, leaving only her eyes visible.

"No, no it's okay!" Twilight assured her. "A lot of ponies felt really bad that they laughed, and they realized that all of them had gone through something similar at one point or another in their lives, so they decided to make a holiday."

Rainbow was understandably confused. "Come again? A holiday of when Trixie shocked me?"

"Er, no, not that. This is a holiday for embarrassment." Twilight fumbled for the right words. "It's about friends telling other friends some of their more, hmm, less than flattering moments in the hopes of moving past them together. It's a day for everyone to remember how cruel it is to laugh at another pony's misfortune and to remind them of the importance of being there for one another."

"And there's a few ponies around town who wanted to stop by, wish you well, and maybe unburden themselves a bit." Applejack added.

"If that's okay with you, that is." Fluttershy said.

"I guess that's cool." Rainbow shrugged. Really though, this is the best they could come up with? No parades, no floats?

Twilight caught Rainbow's expression and smiled. "I *think* the Mayor might be by later to arrange something for you…I don't think I've ever lived in a place that loved to arrange celebrations and holidays as much as Ponyville."

Rainbow's mouth twitched. "That's Ponyville for you…most awesome place to live. Ever."

"Awww, it's awesome because all of the best ponies live here!" Pinkie bounced, somehow managing to wrap her hooves around everpony in the room. "And we're all here because we all owe our Cutie Marks to you Dashie!" Then she started singing. "We found it, the Rainbow Connection! The lovers, the dreamers and MEEEEEE!"

"…Pinkie, where did that come from?" Twilight asked her in askance.

"Well, it was either that or 'It's Not Easy Being Green' but that doesn't work since Rainbow's not green!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Pinkie Pie you are SO random!"

After a few more minutes of well wishes and hugs, Rainbow's friends and rescuers left her in peace. Shyly, Carrot Top poked her head in. She was carrying a bunch of carrots in her teeth that she gently deposited on the nightstand. "Hey, Rainbow Dash." Carrot Top fidgeted. "I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks CT."

"Yeah…" Carrot Top gave a quick peak over her shoulder and then lowered her voice. "One time in school I meant to give a colt I had a crush on a big bushel of my best carrots so he'd like me. I worked for months on them: planting them, watering them, fertilizing them, caring for them. Finally I harvested them and put them in a bag…but I was in such a hurry to get to school that I grabbed the wrong bag. Aaand I asked him—and gave him a big bag of fertilizer." Carrot Top colored.

Rainbow bit her lip. "Oh geeze, I'm sorry CT."

Carrot Top smiled weakly. "It stank to high heavens, I got detention for bringing it to school and that boy never looked at me again. After that, everytime something smelled rotten in school somepony would just say that I must be about to ask somepony out."

"Ooof. That's rough." Rainbow sat up and shared a brief hug with Carrot Top. "Thanks for telling me. You didn't have to—"

"But I *wanted* to. And so do a lot of other ponies." Carrot Top fidgeted. "Anyway, feel better soon Rainbow. Feel free to drop by my place anytime."

And so the day went. Ponies would come into Rainbow Dash's room, leave a gift or card and then tell her some embarrassing accident or incident. Rainbow Dash found out why Big Macintosh was injured right before the last Apple Bucking Season...neither one of them could look each other in the eye for a good minute after that. Bon-Bon brought by her signature treats and confessed to how big a foal she made out of herself when she and Lyra started living together. Berryshine Punch, or Berry Punch to her friends, recounted the one night of carousing that earned her the reputation as the town drunk even though she rarely drank to excess and almost never drank alone. Seaswirl admitted that despite her love for the sea and her knowledge of fish and swimming animals she could never keep a goldfish alive for more than a week.

Even the Mayor came and confided that she made a major flub during a speech she made when she was first campaigning for public office many years ago. It was the sort of flub that cost her that election. It involved a spoonerism and the name of a group of Filly Scouts, the Friendly Ducklings.

Rainbow Dash listened to each story, trying not to smile or laugh except in support of the pony unburdening herself or himself. They would share a sympathetic look and a chuckle and wish each other well. Finally, the procession of pony well wishers ran out and Rainbow was looking forward to a well earned nap. She had just laid her head on her pillow when she heard the gently clip-clop of hooves on the tiled floor.

"Hrrrrmm….I was just nodding offfff…" Rainbow whined as she raised her head up and squinted. Then her eyes widened with shock when she saw who her visitor was. "Princess Celestia?"

The ever regal looking princess dominated any room she was in with her sheer brilliance and presence. The fact that she could just barely fit in this room in no way detracted from that. Rainbow wondered if she was supposed to bow, but then wondered how you bow if you're lying in bed and weren't able to get out of it. Celestia however took the initiative and smiled warmly. "Hello Rainbow Dash. I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I think you and I need to have a little talk."

"Oh. Okay." Rainbow felt her heart sink as she hung her head, studiously examining her blanket.

"Why the long face? Why do you think I'm here?" Celestia asked.

"Well, I guess you're probably gonna say what a lousy example of loyalty I've been lately and find somepony else to be one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and…" Celestia brought a hoof up under Rainbow Dash's face and tilted it upwards."

"Rainbow Miriam Dash, you are a fine bearer of the Element of Loyalty. The best. The Elements of Harmony chose you for a reason."

"But I quit! I turned my back on the town and practically everypony in it! I pushed my best friends away when they were only trying to help me and…" Celestia gently placed her hoof over Rainbow's mouth.

"You came back and saved the town and its ponies, throwing yourself into tremendous danger and risking your life in the process. While it might have been wiser had you waited for aid, your courage and devotion can not bet denied."

"Yeah, well, I guess the elements made me come back and be loyal then." Rainbow muttered. "I know I wasn't feeling all that loyal."

"Is that what you think?" Princess Celestia raised a royal brow. "That the Element of Loyalty is this mysterious and powerful object that control how you think and act?" She chuckled. "No, it wasn't the Elements of Harmony that made you come back. That was all *you* and you alone."

Rainbow Dash shuffled on the bed. "I was so angry with them…" she said at last.

Celestia sat down next to the bed. "I know you were. And it's not for me to say whether it was right or wrong for you to feel that way. But being angry is not the same thing as being disloyal. Surely, you've had a fight or two with your friends."

"Yeah, I guess." Rainbow found it hard meeting Celestia's gaze for more than a moment or two. "But I'm supposed be this representation of loyalty or whatever. And I blew it."

What Celestia said next through Dash for a loop. "Can you characterize me in one word? Just a single word?" She asked out of the blue.

Dash thought. She wished she were more like Twilight for a minute. She knew a lot of really big, weird, random words. Maybe one of them would've fit. "Um, well, I don't—I can't." She finally conceded.

Princess Celestia didn't bat an eye at the admission. "What about Twilight Sparkle? Can you sum her up in one word?"

Rainbow rubbed her face with her hooves. She hated this sort of thinking exercise. There wasn't any point to them that she could see. To her they were just to see if she was 'clever' according to some other pony.

"No…" Rainbow Dash yielded, knowing the Princess probably thought she was just a dumb jock by this point.

"…And yourself?" Celestia asked her tone even.

Rainbow couldn't resist a groan this time. "No, I can't. I'm not smart enough."

Celestia smiled. "Then you're in good company because I can't do it either. No pony can do it, because no pony CAN be summed up in a single word, or even in a thousand. Everypony is vibrant and full of characteristics, traits, and tendencies shaped by their experiences, their upbringing and their own ponysonalities. And all of them have their own contradictions and inconsistencies. No pony is always clever or foolish, always brave or fearful, or any other attribute you can name. Being a bearer of the Element of Loyalty doesn't mean that you are—or should become—a one-dimensional pony characterized only by being loyal." She gave Dash a knowing look. "All it means is that you best represent that element. But loyalty is an ideal and ponies—you and I included—are made of flesh and blood with all the imperfections and flaws that come with it. No pony is ever going to perfectly and completely embody an ideal. To do so they would have to surrender their own uniqueness and character in favor of becoming a concept which is, in any case, impossible."

Rainbow looked like she was following, but not completely convinced. Celestia went on. "Even your friends have had their moments when they have not acted in tune with their element, haven't they?"

Dash closed her eyes as voices from her friends filled her mind.

"I don't need NO help from NO pony!" Applejack's lie.

"Look upon me Equestria! For I. AM. RARITY!" Rarity's selfishness.

"I know how it *_goes*_ alright!" Pinkie Pie's anger and seriousness.

"You are going to LOVE ME!" Fluttershy's rage.

"If I couldn't find a problem, I'd make one!" Twilight's poor judgment and abuse of magic.

"…I guess so." Rainbow said quietly.

"Do you believe that this makes them any less worthy of representing their Elements of Harmony?" Celestia asked her softly.

The cyan pegasus shook her head. "No…of course not!" She paused and then muttered. "Just like I'm not."

Celestia nodded as if to say 'well, there you go then.' She shuffled her wings, getting comfortable. "Each of the Elements of Harmony comes with their own contradictions and complexities. Loyalty for instance can be loving and tender, but it can also be fierce and protective. Those to whom you feel loyalty towards you would defend to your last breath. The flipside, so to speak, is that you can be suspicious, even hostile towards those you don't know and don't feel any loyalty towards."

Rainbow Dash thought. A while flash seemed to go off in her mind: Accusing Twilight Sparkle as a spy when Nightmare Moon appeared and threatened Ponyville, her hostility and suspiciousness towards Zecora, how easily Trixie ruffled her feathers especially after what she did to Applejack.

The alicorn went on. "Loyalty is a wonderful thing, but when it is misplaced or blindly clung to, it can lead to tragic results." Another flash seemed to go off in Rainbow's mind. Gilda. "…But the greatest strength of loyalty is that it can be extended to encompass others." Another flash. Little Strongheart and the buffalo. "…however when loyalty is divided and torn between different places or ponies, it can be truly tragic for the bearer." Flash. Discord. Ponyville or Cloudsdale? Cloudsdale or Ponyville?

Rainbow Dash held her head in her hooves. Celestia paused and gave her a nuzzle, stunning the young pegasus. "I know that this seems a bit overwhelming."

"J-just a bit." Rainbow massaged her temples. "Um, is there anything else I should know?"

Princess Celestia thought for a moment. "Loyalty is not something that can be forged in a moment, though sadly it can be lost. Loyalty can make you stronger and make you capable of things you've never dreamed of. The greater your loyalty, the greater your strength. However, this comes with a price. When your loyalty encompasses more and more ponies, there is a risk that your competing loyalties might clash or you might become overextended. However if you are too exclusive with whom you give your loyalty to, you risk shutting out everyone outside of a small circle of friends. It prevents you from growing, make new friends and new connections—which doesn't mean abandoning old ones." She added, seeing Rainbow Dash about to protest.

Rainbow sighed. This was all just so much to take in. "Loyalty is complicated huh?"

Celestia chuckled. "It is, but it's not just you. Pony philosophers have been wrangling over the true meaning of loyalty since time out of mind. And it's not just loyalty either: all of the Elements of Harmony contain their own hidden depths."

"It all seems so much…deeper than me though." Rainbow Dash said. "I mean I was so disloyal—" Celestia looked at her firmly and Dash, conceding the point, corrected herself. "I mean I *wanted* to be disloyal. I just wanted to toss everything I felt for Ponyville and the ponies in it in a bag and throw it away."

"But you couldn't and you didn't. That's what makes you so loyal." Celestia nodded. "It is easy to be loyal to ponies whom you never quarrel with, or who do whatever you say. But only the truly loyal remain by the side of those who are capable of upsetting them deeply."

"I'll always be there for my friends." Dash affirmed. "Always. I'll follow them through anything!"

"An admirable sentiment." Celestia smiled. "But don't let loyalty make you think that your friends can never be mistaken or wrong. If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow them?"

Rainbow Dash thought then she remembered something she once in heard in school: a rarity in itself that she remembered it, she rarely paid attention. But somehow this always stuck in her mind. "If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't follow. I'd be at the bottom to catch them when they fall."

Celestia smiled. "And *that* my little pony, is a most excellent answer. Twilight Sparkle told me that you were having issues trying to learn whom you should listen to: your friends, your fans, your neighbors or yourself. The answer is all of them and none of them." Rainbow could've sworn she felt herself go derp eyed. The princess chuckled. "You learn as you grow older that wisdom comes from many sources: that sometimes even wise ponies can be wrong and foolish ones right. You have to look at each question in the concrete and judge if an opinion or idea is correct or not."

"However, in forming opinions as to how you see yourself you must remember that there's a difference between fans and followers on the one hoof and friends on the other. Your friends, for instance, supported you even before they knew you could perform a Sonic Rainboom. Your fans came around only after you did it. It's alright to have supporters and fans, as long as you realize that they aren't necessarily your friends. They might become friends if they learn to appreciate you for you, not the things you can do for them. But not all of them will."

Rainbow Dash nodded. Hoops, Dumb-bell and Quarterback would probably still be calling her Rainbow Crash if she had botched the Best Young Fliers Competition. "I think I get what you're saying." Rainbow said.

"Then you have a heads up on me." Celestia said ruefully. "It took me ages and a lot of mistakes before I realized that many ponies agreed with me simply because of who I was. It took a long time to distinguish between when a pony agreed with me because they were genuinely convinced that I was right, or if they agreed simply because I was the Princess, or if they simply wanted to stay on my good side." She rolled her royal eyes. "I love all my little ponies, but honestly a lot of the ponies at my court can be rather ridiculous. Do you know how long it takes me to break in a new councilor or advisor? To convince them that they can—and should!—disagree with me without fear of being banished to the moon?"

"H-heh, yeah, imagine that." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. Then she yawned. "Oh, er, sorry."

"That's all right. I'll leave you to your rest in a moment then." Celestia rose. "I'll leave you with two final things. The first is a story and the second is a reminder. The story: when I first took on the responsibility for raising the sun and the moon I had a few…challenges." She put on a wry grin. "I found raising the moon surprisingly difficult. The first time I attempted it I had the poor judgment to do it in the middle of my court—I was trying to assure them that despite Luna's….absence…that the cycle of the sun and moon would not be broken." She sighed. "I underestimated how difficult it would be to gain a 'hold' on the moon with my magic. Luna's magic was always more subtle than mine. Where the sun requires a lot of power to move it across the sky, the moon requires a lot of precision and finesse. It took more…concentration than I was used to. I bowed my head and my front legs buckled. Eventually, I was able to do it but only by staying like that all night. The result being that the royal court ended up staring at my upturned rump the entire evening." Celestia's eyes twinkled. "And that is why it is called 'Mooning.' "

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped and before she could help herself she was laughing hysterically at the Princess' faux pas. She rolled on her back and clutched her belly. "AHAHAHAAHAA-!" Soon she realized that laughing at the ruler of Equestria might not be such a bright idea, so she bit down on her lip until the laughter was reduced to a few strangled giggles, though her eyes still danced with merriment. "S-sorry." Dash giggled, her lip trembling.

Celestia smiled and shook her head. "It's quite all right." She stood. "You have my fondest wishes for a speedy recovery Miss Dash. And now the reminder: remember…you are loved here. However you choose to see yourself, never forget that."

"T-thank you, princess." The alicorn dipped her head regally and then she left Rainbow Dash alone with her thoughts.

The cyan pegasus rested her head down on her pillow which felt like it weighed a ton, filled to the brim with swishing swirling thoughts that couldn't quiet themselves. Finally though, exhaustion and fatigue won out over vague confusion thoughts as Rainbow Dash drifted off to sleep.

Rainbow Dash made a quick recovery. Her friends and rescuers visited her everyday which helped make the time pass faster. Rarity and Zecora were as good as their word. In under a week that new lotion—which smelled like a Diamond Dog's underarm—had helped her mane, tail and coat grow back to their normal length. Her bald spots were gone, her wings were back in action and she had her old job back! The Mayor looked like she was about to cry tears of joy when Rainbow told her. "I guess she REALLY likes Winter Wrap Up to stay on schedule." She mused.

As she took a leisurely flight around town she was greeted to the sight of almost everypony stopping whatever they were doing and waving to her or sharing an awkward grin. Rainbow waved back. Most of them had visited her in the hospital and traded an embarrassing story or two with her. Somehow the shared experience had made Rainbow feel…closer to other ponies in town somehow. And that just made her feel closer to the town as a whole.

"Deeeeeeeerrp!"

"Haha, nice one!"

…of course there was always room for an exception or two. Turning she saw a pair of unicorns making faces and loudly laughing at Ditzy Doo as she made her mail run, studiously trying to ignore them. It was Sticks and Stones, the local town bullies. Rainbow always thought that they were well named: neither of them was granted with more intelligence than the items they were named after.

By the slight tremor in Ditzy's steps Rainbow saw that she was about at her limit. She decided to intervene. With a sudden _fwoosh_ she zipped in between Ditzy and the two unicorns. "There a problem here?"

Sticks and Stones looked at each other uneasily. While they would mock anypony at the drop of a hat they knew that insulting the pony who had just saved the town would be an exercise in futility. "Um hey Rainbow Dash." Sticks gave a smile that was more of a sickly grimace. "No, no problem here! Right Stones?"

Stones shook his head. "Nope!" He gave Ditzy a look. "No problem here, right Derpy, er Ditzy?"

"…It's fine Dash. Really." Ditzy gave her friend a weak smile. Rainbow gave her a long even look, then glanced quickly back at the two bullies. They gulped in unison.

"Okay." Rainbow Dash said evenly, shrugging her wings. "It's good that things are fine. Because if I thought for even a second that some dumb bullies were hassling a good, close *friend* of mine and one of the coolest pegasi EVER then I'd be going Sonic Rainboom on their rumps." She raised her voice so that ponies up and down the road stopped to look. Sticks and Stones paled. "Heck, if they thought being struck by lightning hurt, they'd be totally BLOWN AWAY by a Sonic Rainboom being done right over their thick skulls." Rainbow gave a cocky smirk. "Of course, everything's fine so why even talk about it?

"Y-yeah! Heh heh heh." Stones looked like he was going to faint.

"So um, you feeling okay?" Sticks asked, trying to keep Rainbow off topic. "All your fur grow back?" A tiny little smile, like that of a malicious rodent, passed his face. "I know I wouldn't want to be seen around town with my rump bare."

Rainbow tossed her mane breezily. "Pfeh. You two are just jealous that my rump looks better than your faces, lightning strike or no." Sticks did not expect a quick comeback from somepony who had been so vulnerable before. Other ponies watching the exchange shared a quick giggle and the two bullies beat a hasty retreat.

Ditzy Doo walked up to Rainbow Dash and gave her a quick neck hug. "Thanks Rainbow." She said softly.

"Heh, anytime." Rainbow smiled. "C'mon, let's go pick up Dinky from school. Race ya!"

The two pegasi sped away to the school house. Ditzy Doo 'somehow' won the race and arrived just in time to greet her daughter as Dinky galloped out of the school house and tackle hugged her mother, squealing "You won, you won!" Rainbow Dash smiled.

From her balcony where she was watching, Twilight Sparkle smiled even more. "Spike? Could you take a letter please?" She started humming to herself as Spike went to grab a scroll and a pen. "Life's a happy song, when there's somepony by your side to sing alooong!"

THE END


	12. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

"Witness the amazing talents of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" The boastful, pompous words rang hollow as ponies walked by the blue unicorn, adorned with neither hat nor cape and instead of a stage stood atop of an empty turnip crate. In front of it sat a bowl empty but for a few spare Bits.

To her everlasting shame, Trixie was reduced to performing a few sideshow parlor tricks in order to try to restart her flagging career. She waved her hooves dramatically in a way that used to thrill the crowds…at least, until Ponyville.

She had lost everything: her trademark hat and cape, her home, stage and primary mode of transportation, her reputation and her self-respect. Trixie's horned glowed as she conjured up some spinning fireworks and crackling rockets. She was so tired that the display came off less awe inspiring and more pathetic. Snickers arose at the pitiful performance. Trixie hung her head.

Then from someplace above and behind her came a sudden fwoosh and a bright rainbow that arced over Trixie's makeshift stage and soared across the sky. Ponies oohed and awed as the rainbow soared upwards again, thinking it was part of the show. Trixie beamed, her grin forced. Would the pony responsible for this come down and take the credit? Would she or he expose Trixie as a fraud and ruin her again? And why did this look so familiar? The rainbow twirled upwards in a shrinking spiral and it ended with a bright white flash.

The audience stomped their hooves and cheered wildly. "TRIX-IE! TRIX-IE!" The Bits started to drop into the bowl until it was overflowing. Trixie felt her eyes tear up. At last!

She delighted in the cheers and adulation of the crowd until the audience finally faded away. Trixie carefully carried her bowl full of bits back to the tiny shack she had rented till she got back on her hooves. She was just about to walk through the door when a blue blur interposed itself between her and the shack. "Hello, Trixie."

The cold tone was so icy Trixie literally felt a chill run up her spine. She raised her head and looked into a pair of fuschia eyes attached to a blue frowning face. "T-trixie remembers you!" She blurted out. "You're that pegasus from Ponyville!"

"The name's Rainbow Dash. Remember it." Rainbow snorted. "I'd say that I hope you appreciate what I did back there, but I know you wouldn't."

"You did that…?" Trixie was understandably confused. The last she recalled the cyan pegasus hated her guts.

"That's not why I came." Rainbow cut her off coolly. "I came here to give you something."

Trixie looked around but there was nopony nearby to help. Her magic wasn't meant to be used in a fight! And she was so tired that she didn't think she could levitate much more than a feather by this point. "P-please, don't-! Trixie is—I mean, *I'm* sorry I humiliated you and your friends! Please don't hurt me!" She crouched down and closed her eyes, covering her head with her hooves. Trixie trembled as she felt something soft gently fall on her back and something else cover her head. She poked one eye open. Then she looked back at herself and her jaw dropped open.

"My hat! My cape!" Trixie practically squealed as she hugged her belongings back to her. She looked back to Rainbow Dash. "Thank you thank you thank you! But why…?"

Rainbow Dash looked hard at Trixie and sighed. "Because…because nopony deserves to be humiliated and reduced to this. You come *close,* but…" she snorted then her voice softened again. "And because I might've become like you. Do yourself a favor. Go make some friends. Not fans, friends. You'll be glad you did." Rainbow flapped her wings and started to gain some altitude.

With her old outfit back and Rainbow Dash putting some much needed distance between them, Trixie felt a measure of her old arrogance and haughtiness coming back. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has no need for friends, or advice from some brutish pegasus."

Rainbow Dash turned around, ignoring her. "There's a griffon hanging around the outskirts of Hoofington. Go look her up. I know she could use a friend too." Rainbow Dash flew away and didn't look back.

THE END

"Um, gee, I dunno about this Pinkie Pie…"

"C'mon Fluttershy it'll be fun! Do you have that Poison Joke?"

"…yes."

"Well! Take a sniff and then let's get cracking!"

"Oh, okay…" SNIFF! "WELL, DID IT WORK?"

"Heeheee! Sure did Flutterguy! Now then! And a one and a two and a one, two, three!"

"AHEM…MAHNA MAHNA!"

"Do doo be-do-do!"

"MAHNA MAHNA!"

"Do do-do do!"

"MAHNA MAHNA!"

"Do doo be-do-do be-do-do be-do-do be-do-do-doodle do do do-doo do!"

"…..MAHNA MAHNA!"

**Author's Notes:**

Borrowed concepts and characters:

-The bullies Sticks and Stones are from "Ditzy Doo's Dismally Derpy Day" by CLAVDIVS CAESAR

-Ditzy Doo's full name being Ditzabeth Eleanor Doo and the idea of her and Dinky living with Carrot Top comes from "Life with Derpy" by RadRoss

-Ditzy saying Kaloo kalay is a reference to "Knights of Equestria" by Solaris90

-Rainbow Dash being a bad cook is a reference to any number of fics, including "Worst Bakers in Equestria"

-Rainbow's full name being Rainbow Miriam Dash comes from the stories by Bobcat

-The incident I mentioned where Zecora fixed Rainbow Dash during a storm in the Everfree Forest is a reference to "No Tame Forest" by PhantomFox

-The reference to Zecora's homeland is from "The Education of Zecora" by Demetrius

-Twilight's perspective on the expectations of her comes from Bookish Delight called "Twilight Switch"

-The songs "Life's A Happy Song," "Rainbow Connection," "It's Not Easy Being Green," and "Mahna Mahna" are copyrighted to the Muppets and Jim Henson

-My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyrighted to Lauren Faust and Hasbro.

Special thanks to all my readers and reviewers and a super special thanks to Buttersc0tch Sundae, Bookish Delight, Solaris90, and SoundofRainfall for their words of advice, their suggestions and their patience. And to all you Bronies and Pegasisters out there, thanks! And to Lauren Faust and the crew who give us My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, there aren't enough thanks in the universe! You rock!


End file.
